travel

Naoshima Diary: Pumpkin galore

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Travel Notes:
After spending a night on Teshima island, we then made our way onwards to Naoshima island.
Unfortunately, this meant going back via Uno port.
There are two boats that run to/from Uno and Teshima – the ferry and then the passenger boat.
We took the passenger boat from Teshima back to Uno. It only took about 20 minutes (half the time it to get to Teshima on the ferry). That meant we were back in time at Uno to take the ferry to Naoshima. We had to bolt for the ferry connection though. We thought the boat back to Uno was going to take about 40 minutes giving us an hour layover in Uno port. But thankfully we made the earlier ferry to Naoshima. Woo hoo. This meant we’d have more time on Naoshima.

Ferry to Naoshima was about 20 minutes and was pretty crowded. Naoshima is pretty popular and it was a summer long weekend.

Upon arrival at Naoshima, first thing in order was to dump our back at the cheap hostel/minshuku we were staying at. And then off to find some bike rentals for the day. We had to try a few places before we found a place with electric bikes. We got lucky and set off on our electric bikes. It was about 1000yen for a 7 hour rental (with a 3000yen deposit). Sweet. A full day of cycling around Naoshima.

I previously posted up photos of the yellow spotty pumpkin art installation from day 1 on Naoshima.

On day 2 we bussed and walked around the island.
Here are photos from day 2 on Naoshima. More pumpkin photos. Cannot. Go. Past. Giant. Pumpkins. Without. Taking. Photos. Of. It.

From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2

Not only did I get to take lots of photos of pumpkins, but I got to eat pumpkin ice-cream. Surprisingly, delicious. But quite rich and creamy. Just as well we shared one (although we had originally wanted to get one each, but they only had one left!). But pumpkin is a vegetable, so it’s healthy ice cream, right?

The pumpkin ice cream was served in an actual frozen pumpkin:

From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream

So creamy and delicious:

From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream

Overnight on Teshima Island

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Most people barely visit Teshima for a day let alone stay overnight there. It’s often seen as a day trip from Naoshima.
But we did Teshima first, stayed overnight there and then moved onto Naoshima.
We had a rental car for the day on Teshima and still didn’t get to see everything.
We had to return the car at 5pm and made our way back to the port where we got picked up by the hotel owners to take us to our accommodation for the night.

Accommodation on Teshima Island is very, very limited.
One of the few lodgings is Teshima Amore Resort – a really bizarre little place run by a Japanese couple. It is now basically a delapilated resort located right on a private beach, but I’m sure it was seen as luxury lodgings back in its heyday.

The private beach was nice for walking along at sunset. Didn’t get a chance to have a dip although it would have been nice to. Very secluded and quiet. There were only a few other guests staying there and the owners were quite friendly and accommodating for us.

It was a random little place to stay, but very peaceful.

Excellent waterfront views of the Seto inland sea:

From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore

The rather run-down rooms for the night:

From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore

Private beach:

From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore

The rooms weren’t the Ritz, but the dinner was pretty special. An awesome BBQ feast out on the deck.

From Teshima Amore

An absolute feast, I tell you!

From Teshima Amore

For a little run down place, the accommodation price was definitely on the pricier side – but factor in that it was a night’s accommodation, BBQ dinner feast included, breakfast included, and to/from pick up/drop off to the port – it was not bad value.

Thoroughly enjoyed Teshima Island. And Naoshima Island was going to be even better!

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Travel notes:
Day 1 of Teshima. Arrived on the boat from Uno and hired the car for the day sightseeing around the island visiting the various museums and art installation.

Here are some snapshots around Teshima.

Bike rental is popular mode of transport (most of which are electric bikes). We scored one of the few rental cars on the island which was a real bonus. Bikes can be rented from right outside the port area.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iONZannvH75VsajqfAvHpNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-quiDYzDAD_M/U88tACwelRI/AAAAAAACvxk/aHK5tJHjgwE/s640/DSC_0890.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

We passed this building along our drive, which we thought might have been a museum. Turned out to be a restaurant.
Great water views which they would not let us take photos of. We drove on.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hM-JGDHR4WcZNHAdgXjex9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RwQ-utQhHyI/U88sxh6QnaI/AAAAAAACvq8/hjQ18V2QDqg/s640/DSC_0707.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

We checked out the installation called “Stormy House”. Entry was 300yen. You’re hit up for fees everywhere around the island. You’ve been warned.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/914fqnTga-CoaKAufPxh1NVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hDbVP-lXbUw/U88tDItP7yI/AAAAAAACvwg/s-qPePlU7QA/s640/IMG_0070.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

All I’ll say about Stormy House is that it can be heard all around the island.

The island itself is pretty with some scenic views:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jZrR4qt3WaUcXQajWN-PsdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2dsj1Uvqkc0/U88tRexuAbI/AAAAAAACv04/pjAQjJWrOc4/s640/IMG_0143.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5HKG_XWO4nLgvFE2xFnt5dVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JDMsCVEeJNI/U88sxVegnqI/AAAAAAACvq0/48i3yd7D91Y/s640/DSC_0724.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BcAkhfYIqlOMNDv6_oh6qdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WZJgqWjcYDw/U88tGqMSXxI/AAAAAAACvxc/roDf5Z-oAug/s640/IMG_0078.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

The Seto Inland Sea:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6wO7PXxZEIT9hEC8OvgluNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-idMrUr5g3cQ/U88symR1oZI/AAAAAAACvrY/d8P-kDHlYtk/s640/DSC_0726.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lZd0ISkHHXNXyibiwaGU8dVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R9IedPFqbOY/U88s0YYF7jI/AAAAAAACvro/mFLbbJyzzWw/s640/DSC_0743.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

The most strangest dead-end pier ever:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Naz0dRfsUS5XuoQlEleQt9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gDY0oQH71VE/U88s1UrFmoI/AAAAAAACvsM/pmb_8lUemUQ/s640/DSC_0746.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Not at all connected to land:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/s40VEKurH6byL3LA3uzR4tVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UnPCOtPzfR0/U88s2fkwO2I/AAAAAAACvsU/KbH0r4ggQv8/s640/DSC_0748.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Everyone will recommend that you eat lunch at Shima Kitchen, and so you should:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ebcu7lhOSDZ-C0kbnEZittVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_xGIrXGES-Y/U88tDXFRfiI/AAAAAAACvw8/8jt1X93drPI/s640/IMG_0071.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R4guyZV4jEqSAf3AgcMYmtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Rbs-tVy_Dd8/U88tEa6b3GI/AAAAAAACvws/VBS6A2vbVhQ/s640/IMG_0073.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Other random stuff we saw on the island:

This was totally my cup of tea:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cvIl3PnpnkMgo8CdhHPmX9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bd_gxwdFzOQ/U88s3huKGOI/AAAAAAACvts/Iks3A4-1XZs/s640/DSC_0784.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Port area:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bNCa7jBZjaNY0VE756QOcdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a8qDQL2zfz8/U88s4QeupWI/AAAAAAACvs4/7Wv5D0Rnt1Q/s640/DSC_0786.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2MUPxT8hrfxBTccqE10BUdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ucMu_Dc7t4c/U88s4nkpQfI/AAAAAAACvs8/aQdyf89k5Og/s640/DSC_0787.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lT-jkHh_qHbWNNkwFlw4H9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DbG_bI5jC-A/U88tNbT3F7I/AAAAAAACvz0/cohppt9w9IM/s640/IMG_0120.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gn7agE_r3P3H0-1gYjZEPNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tjqe-OASZsI/U88tPKBraxI/AAAAAAACv0U/VzfYyMa9810/s640/IMG_0121.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

No filter used. That was actually part of a museum building with a giant red-tinted glass window,

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/seTsuBDSPj_NtsR9EGzUftVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8VcTy77ySRo/U88s72iyWnI/AAAAAAACv1k/FoXX-NkqoT0/s640/DSC_0837.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7dUtpFhgb5C95p6oMyo8mdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Wwluf8HuHUI/U88s8McA5XI/AAAAAAACvuI/GBTHg0O7A78/s640/DSC_0838.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qsJYnuGY9lM46qxj3E8WftVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yJTNkgmhPT8/U88tBYPes6I/AAAAAAACvxQ/V5DGOjtnzrQ/s640/DSC_0949.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Highlight was the Teshima Art Museum. Has to be experienced for yourself. Pretty amazing. Entry is about 1500yen for only one installation. But totally worth it.
Photos of it are not allowed, so this is all you’ll get. I’m also pretty sure this is the main reason that people even visit Teshima, is for this museum.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4Mbrc0h7lLViZbM3neRZP9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5HeBHnRlyO4/U88tID-O79I/AAAAAAACvyI/74Yj92Fnn2E/s640/IMG_0082.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

One of the bizarrest museums on the island is the heartbeat museum. It’s an archive of human heartbeats. It’s a bit freaky really. People (anyone) can contribute a recording of their heartbeat which is then played in a room. The room is pretty much pitchblack. You enter and listen to a collection of a total stranger’s heartbeat in darkness, with the exception of a small flickering lightbulb. It’s very weird. They also display the name of the person’s heartbeat you are listening to. At the museum, you can pay to have your heartbeat recording added to the collection.
One of the recording sites is at the Museum of Modern Art in Tasmania!
There is even a computer available with the heartbeat archive which can be searched for free.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LQ4Hk2QAdR1QII-dx-w_99VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-58OTh4v_O0o/U88tLZW4lxI/AAAAAAACvzU/gV_qAwimPDc/s640/IMG_0092.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xrLmoGyNyrjhKhJduvbCGdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dIqpBN0cVGw/U88tJMQMUdI/AAAAAAACvzs/xeyVLD_t9fA/s640/IMG_0084.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HuTdbOiktf5rsNGyQVTpE9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SVewRFSVvxE/U88tJlSh0tI/AAAAAAACvys/Uq4h-iJJHL4/s640/IMG_0086.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HybS66c0Y9I1BrBKpsY0odVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VoLCa-8WaL4/U88tJ0bRnuI/AAAAAAACvyw/L1VW5MlbGMI/s640/IMG_0087.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Si3r_ZF9z5wpWmoN2Py5QdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1dREOgjKegs/U88tKR3WVAI/AAAAAAACvy4/Lzb2hYGxoZw/s640/IMG_0088.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/snXLT031pGoHopd0p34xbtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_VLlvolDYVI/U88tLP_ZnCI/AAAAAAACvzE/_Y2vyxMMzP8/s640/IMG_0091.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Another installation we checked out was in the forest. It was a little meh. And we paid 300yen.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vTnkk96_601FvcsvTkVQhNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0wIPSKksywU/U88tMN1yn4I/AAAAAAACvzw/p_injTNnyHo/s640/IMG_0094.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qrasBL-a7PJmwe0oQG8uUtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AmA8YbbLu3c/U88tM9_vS9I/AAAAAAACv0A/w5_oou78qAs/s640/IMG_0096.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Island life:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ycjno2irvVJKMCXwsHWE29VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mVHlo7VMYjU/U88s9vFcNtI/AAAAAAACvus/iZdqDeRLvtM/s640/DSC_0843.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gUcreVMSUt7FdYCpHqvHFtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_A2BeIROZfU/U88s8daFN6I/AAAAAAACvuY/vup3o4LoeLw/s640/DSC_0839.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nMxUyfucQuC1qOF1H9GqkdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bTDinNnjYu8/U88s960j_6I/AAAAAAACv1k/5rRhQ51G488/s640/DSC_0881.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qwRtXxz6-HxP2BSavIISAdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S03ObUwT6OU/U88tOZT3-QI/AAAAAAACv0M/IDqJGPCMODc/s640/IMG_0137.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q4gerkbNlFE0omSyt5O1_dVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xzeeCoduBMw/U88tQ_diUbI/AAAAAAACv00/X1djyQpmfbE/s400/IMG_0142.JPG&#8221; height=”400″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MIKrXsIbfMVXHZ233eoiW9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0ZKH1tKlThQ/U88tBdbIBEI/AAAAAAACvv4/uFFzKQtxXGw/s640/DSC_0950.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

A really fascinating island. But apart from art, there’s not much to see on the island. But the art is really worth seeing. But everything you see on the island has a price. Most cost 300yen with the museums costing a bit more.

Naoshima Diary: Posing with Giant Pumpkins

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A 3-day long weekend was had and my brother was visiting Japan. On the last few days of his trip, I headed down to meet up with him in Okayama for our final adventure – a trip to Teshima and Naoshima islands also known as the Art Islands.

Truth was, I was supposed to go there over the last Christmas/New Years break, but you might recall no adventures were had by me and I stuck around in Tokyo for personal reasons. So at last, I finally got to go with brother and a friend in tow.
Day 1 was Teshima. Day 2 and 3 was Naoshima.

I’m just gonna jump to the highlight of the trip which was posing around with oversized pumpkin sculptures (all in the name of art).

Currently obsessed with giant plastic polka-dotted pumpkins.
This is the yellow one (yes, more than one oversized pumpkin!) located on Naoshima island and brought hours of entertainment.

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

I think I foresee a future as a pumpkin model:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Super excited about giant pumpkins. I can barely contain myself:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Pushing Pumpkins. Beats pushing papers:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

No selfie is complete without a giant pumpkin in it:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Note, that these photos are from the Yellow Pumpkin Day 1 album. More of the same yellow pumpkin photos taken on Day 2!

Artist is none other than Yayao Kusama, of polka-dot fame.

Naoshima Diary: il Vento art cafe

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Travel notes:
We arrived onto the island of Teshima from Uno port on the Saturday morning. Boat ride was a direct 45min.
Upon arriving at Teshima island, we decided to get a car rental for the day. It was about a 5min walk from the port and we were in luck. Without a reservation, we were able to get a car rental for the day. And it was pretty cheap. 5000yen for the day, split between 3 people. After get a whole bunch of explanations, directions and recommendations from Aki-san (the car rental owner guy), we were on our way. Car had to be back by 5pm, so we had to cram in 6 hours of sightseeing.

Teshima island is pretty tiny. Most people rent bikes, but the place is a little hilly and it was stinking hot. An air-conditioned car was the way to go and we were really lucky to snare us a car. A full day of sightseeing ahead.

So, why Teshima? Teshima is one of the Art Islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Most people only visit it as a half day trip from Naoshima. I would say it definitely warranted a full day to see everything. There was still heaps more that we could have seen had we had more time. We stayed on the island overnight, which is not really common. Accommodation is super limited with only about 2-3 options to choose from. Infrastructure on the island is also very limited. Not so many eateries, and I barely saw a single shop. Not a single conbini that we came across in the 24 hours that we were there. It’s pretty remote. But it was awesome. And the only thing to do/see on the island is all art based. Nothing else there to see. And all the art will cost you money.

In the morning we did covered a fair chunk of the art plus a lunch break. In the afternoon we stopped by il Vento cafe. It’s an art cafe. To even see/enter the building will cost you 300yen (without a food order) or you can order from the cafe instead thereby seeing the cafe with the cost built in. We decided to have afternoon tea – a refreshing beverage and cake.

Totally picked the best cake there – a lemon cake which was delicious and an Olive cider, which was surprisingly really good. I forgot to mention that the island is popular for olives (there’s an olive farm there).

The building itself is a converted Japanese house:

From il Vento art cafe

But the interior is super trippy.

Camouflaged seating:

From il Vento art cafe

Where the furniture blends with the walls and ceilings:

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

Downstairs seating:

From il Vento art cafe

Outdoor seating. It was way too hot to seat inside, hence it was totally empty:

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

Beware the stairs:

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

We opted for the upstairs seating which was super funky:

From il Vento art cafe

Olive Cider:

From il Vento art cafe

Amazing lemon cake. And I loved that with every cake order, you got two portions of cake.

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

View of the village rooftops:

From il Vento art cafe

Super cool cafe. Time your visit for afternoon tea there.

Mount Bromo Sunrise: epic photo blog

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Brace yourself for an onslaught of photos.

When I was in Indonesia for Golden Week this year, one of the things I did was see Mount Bromo at sunrise, followed by a trek up to Mount Bromo – a very much active volcano. It’s quite the trip. You generally need to book a driver and a guide for Mount Bromo. We opted to arrange just a driver (and no guide) as the volcanic area is only accessible by jeep. We opted for the hard core most time-efficient method. This meant leaving Jogyakarta at about 4pm in the afternoon whereby we took a a several hour train journey to Surabaya. We stopped at a place for dinner and then met our driver at Surabaya station at midnight. From there we would drive 4 hours in the middle of the night out to near Mount Bromo. We then had to change to a jeep vehicle with a separate Mount Bromo driver. No bed for us tonight. In the wee hours of the morning before sunrise, we layered up into our warmest clothes to make our way to the lookout point for sunrise. Because we had not booked a guide, we were to meet our driver later on in the morning. Phew, that was already a long day of 12 hours of travel without sleep and we still hadn’t climbed Mount Bromo yet.

It was about 4am and we donned our headtorches and set off.
It was still dark out, but soon the sun would rise. We weren’t about to climb Mount Bromo just yet. We were taken to the sunrise view point from which you can see Mount Bromo. Us and a couple of hundred other tourists were all waiting for sunrise.

Waiting in the dark:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Three mountains:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Cloud cover over the valley:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

When daylight broke, it was only then you realised how crowded it was up there.
A bit like Fuji. You get to the summit and then realise it’s like Times Square.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

The view was spectacular. Amazing volcanic mountains and cloud cover.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Sunrise:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Cloud and mist covers the valley and village below:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Mount Bromo is the middle wide, flattish volcano that you can see here. It is still very much an active volcano.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Remember this image below, because in a later post I will put up photos of the land below when all the cloud lifted. The contrast is stark.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Cloud cover starts to lift:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

It was pretty amazing. I was actually really surprised at how beautiful Indonesia was. So many mountains and volcanoes, as we all beautiful resort islands. The food was amazing, everything was pretty cheap and the people really friendly.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Smoke billowing from the two volcanoes:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Selfie sticks everywhere in Indonesia! Was surprised at how many people I saw using there during my holiday:

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Our driver took us to a different lookout point where it is less crowded and we got a different angle.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

This is Mount Batok, and behind it you can see the billowing smoke from Mount Bromo.

From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise
From Mount Bromo Sunrise

Not even 9am yet and we were still yet to climb Mount Bromo! Stay tuned.

Oshima Fuji open water swimming

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Went to Oshima a few weekends ago. Finally got to tick that one off the list. Of the seven Izu islands, I only have one more to do. Was in Oshima for a triathlon – not an individual one, but rather a team relay. Naturally, I’d be doing the swimming leg. Unfortunately, and to everyone’s disappointment, it rained. A lot. The race was cancelled. And, of course, the next day was a perfectly sunny day. Oh well, hiked a volcano on the Sunday instead so all was not lost. In the absence of a swim on Saturday, some of us got up early for a pre-breakfast swim. Gotta love a 6am swim on a Sunday. Who needs sleep, right? It was worth it though coz we got to see Fuji.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

Mount Fuji in all its glory. Was a drastic change from the previous day of rain and cloud.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This particular spot was called Akinohama (on Oshima Island). We jumped off from a small rocky point.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

A fine morning for some wild swimming. In we jumped. Everyone wore wetsuits except me. Triathletes are such wimps in the water 😉

From Oshima tri day 2

The water was cold. I’m guessing about 19 degrees. Definitely made the heart stop beating for a second when I first jumped in. Took me a while to get my breathing right. Water was chilly and it was surprisingly choppy. Felt a bit seasick out there. Didn’t help that I was seasick the day before on the boat from Tokyo to Oshima island. We had had some wild wet weather the day before.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This is open water swimming at its finest. Refreshing cold water with Mount Fuji looking over us. C’mon in!

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

The pensive swimmer:

From Oshima tri day 2

 

Oshima Fuji open water swimming

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Went to Oshima a few weekends ago. Finally got to tick that one off the list. Of the seven Izu islands, I only have one more to do.
Was in Oshima for a triathlon – not an individual one, but rather a team relay. Naturally, I’d be doing the swimming leg. Unfortunately, and to everyone’s disappointment, it rained. A lot. The race was cancelled. And, of course, the next day was a perfectly sunny day. Oh well, hiked a volcano on the Sunday instead so all was not lost.

In the absence of a swim on Saturday, some of us got up early for a pre-breakfast swim. Gotta love a 6am swim on a Sunday. Who needs sleep, right? It was worth it though coz we got to see Fuji.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

Mount Fuji in all its glory. Was a drastic change from the previous day of rain and cloud.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This particular spot was called Akinohama (on Oshima Island).
We jumped off from a small rocky point.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

A fine morning for some wild swimming.
In we jumped. Everyone wore wetsuits except me. Triathletes are such wimps in the water 😉

From Oshima tri day 2

The water was cold. I’m guessing about 19 degrees. Definitely made the heart stop beating for a second when I first jumped in. Took me a while to get my breathing right. Water was chilly and it was surprisingly choppy. Felt a bit seasick out there. Didn’t help that I was seasick the day before on the boat from Tokyo to Oshima island. We had had some wild wet weather the day before.

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

This is open water swimming at its finest. Refreshing cold water with Mount Fuji looking over us.

C’mon in!

From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2
From Oshima tri day 2

The pensive swimmer:

From Oshima tri day 2

Guam afternoon tea

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

I was overseas in Guam for the swim race, so, of course, I had to do an afternoon tea. Unfortunately, time was tight so it meant that I had to do it on the Sunday afternoon after the 8km swim. The problem was, was that I was full from lunch prior to turning up for afternoon tea. One should not partake in afternoon tea on a full stomach!

According to my prior research, I couldn’t really find any venues in Guam to do afternoon tea. The only place I found was at the Hyatt Regency, so the Hyatt Regency hotel it was then.

I had done the 8km swim race early that morning, had a monster of a lunch (see Exhibit A), and then had evening plans from about 6:30 so I had a small timeframe in which to do afternoon tea. So without much of appetite I went along to afternoon tea anyway. I did it on my own and didn’t bother with a reservation. There’s not much you need to book in advance for in Guam.

Exhibit A:

From Cocos Island Crossing OWS race

Afternoon tea at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Guam is in the lobby lounge. It wasn’t so crowded so I helped myself to a table and ordered the afternoon tea for two even though it was for one.

You’ll have to excuse the poor photo quality. This is probably the worst set of photos I’ve ever taken an afternoon tea. I was feeling exhausted, tired and full and obviously too lazy to use my camera functions properly.

From Guam afternoon tea

The afternoon tea set here only comes for two. So that meant double quantities of everything. It’s obviously good value if you can share it. It also works out at $14 per person if splitting. Otherwise, on your own you pay the $28 (plus service charge). At any rate, pretty cheap for a hotel afternoon tea. But I gotta say the food was pretty disappointing.

From Guam afternoon tea

Lounge and hotel interior:

From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea

The afternoon tea includes a pot of tea of your choice. It was so good to have a cup of tea. It had been a few days since my last cup of tea. I liked the nice tall generous teapot serving:

From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea

I was so full and no one to share the food with, but for the sake of research, I had to try a bite of at least everything.

From Guam afternoon tea

I liked the way the platters were served though. It was a little different but cool.

From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea

The food was nothing to rave it. Not surprisingly, Guam is not a culinary destination.
The sandwiches were stout and not so appetising:

From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea

Somewhat on the dry side.

From Guam afternoon tea

The food seemed so carby and dry.

From Guam afternoon tea
From Guam afternoon tea

The desserts were better than the sandwiches at least.

From Guam afternoon tea

More dessert and scones:

From Guam afternoon tea

I struggled to even have a bite and sample everything. My heart wasn’t really in it. I was already full still from lunch and was knackered and dehydrated from the 8km swim. My tastebuds were still kinda funky from the saltwater.

Given that options for afternoon tea are very limited on Guam, I suppose it’s not too bad. Price tag-wise it’s very good value especially split between 2. It’s pretty ideal if you’re wanting tea and some cakes. And when you’re hungry enough, anything tastes good. Next time, I’ll just have to go there with an appetite!

From Guam afternoon tea

Tumon Bay: Postcards from Guam

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Guam is an interesting little island. It’s pretty tiny, with a population of about 160,000 inhabitants. You can see the whole island in a day if you have a car. It’s really close to Japan – only a 3.5 hour flight. It’s a popular holiday destination for Japanese people. Guam is actually a US territory but the island is a mix of Japanese, American and local influence. It is heavily catered for Japanese tourists. Pretty much all the signs are in Japanese, as well as in English. It was almost like a mini-Japan, perhaps a cross between Hawaii and Okinawa. I found that I could understand more by reading everything in Japanese, despite the fact that everyone speaks English in addition to Chamurro. Maps, menu, signs etc are all in Japanese. And most of the tourists are predominantly Japanese or Korean. At the same time, it has an American culture. Big shopping malls, large portion food and the currency is USD. There is also quite a strong military presence with a both a navy and air force located on the tiny island. The weather though is hot, humid and sunny – it’s actually pretty close to the equator.

It has beautiful bays and coastline, and jungle/bush areas. But it’s a super tiny island filled with big cars and trucks. 98% of the cars are imported from Japan. It seemed like there were more calls than people. The malls and shopping outlets are popular with tourists. They even have a 24-hour KMart store. However, there is not a single Starbucks store on the island of Guam. Another random tidbit I learnt was that there is a jail on the island. It accomodates 300 people, but currently houses about 700 people.

The main city centre area is Tumon Bay (although that is not the capital of Guam). Tumon is the tourist hub where all the hotels are. It’s really pretty and the water is amazing. It was very picturesque and relaxing. Water and sunshine is all I need.

These are all photos from Day 1 in Guam.

Our view from the hotel room overlooked this side of the bay to the right:

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

I enjoyed waking up to this every morning I was there:

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

Ahh, paradise:

From Guam day 1

This was the other side, where we headed down for a swim on the Saturday morning:

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

The bay was super shallow, but the water super clear. Popular for snorkelling and there was a surprising amount of fish and marinelife.

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

An example of appropriate and inappropriate beach footwear:

From Guam day 1

The hotel was also really nice. We had a great view from our room and it had an infinity pool.

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

Surrounded by water and more water:

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

Brace yourself: lots of photos of pretty much the same thing. But that’s my style that you’ve come to know and love.

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

This is why I love water and love swimming.

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

Sunset from the hotel room:

From Guam day 1
From Guam day 1

Guam was an awesome holiday mini-break. I would have liked to have spent more time there. I managed to squeeze in a lot for a short amount of time. Saturday was mostly hotel-bound and admiring the views of the bay, aside from a small swim session and resting up before the 8km swim race. Sunday was then spent recovering the 8km swim, so I really didn’t do a lot of sightseeing over the weekend.