Boracay Island, Philippines

We had the amazing opportunity to visit the Philippines for vacation on Boracay Island. The small island is only 4km long, and is surrounded by powder white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise water. Truly a beach dream vacation!

The hardest part of the trip was getting there: subway to Nagoya Station, train to the airport, flight to Manila, had to stay overnight at a hotel in Manila, an hour flight to Caticlan early the next morning, shuttle ride to the ferry, ferry across the sea to Boracay Island, then a taxi to our hotel. Then of course we had to do that all in reverse on the way back.WOW, the trip there and back was exhausting.

This was the boat "ferry" taking us over to Boracay Island.

Our stay on the island was really wonderful. It definitely exceeded our expectations. Our hotel was clean, the pool was refreshing, the ocean was warm and beautiful, the food was excellent (and very cheap!), the massages were the best we've ever had, and the people were the nicest genuine people that we've ever met anywhere before. Oh, and the fruit shakes were awesome!

Elodie's diet consisted mainly of fruit shakes, but we were just thankful that she was eating something. We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of food choices that were on the island - our favorite of course was Mexican, probably because that's the cuisine we miss the most in the U.S.



Joe went scuba diving a couple of days and got his PADI certification, so he can now dive with a professional without taking any training. We took a beautiful sunset sail one evening, which surprisingly didn't make either Elodie or me seasick. But I'm not going to lie, it was a little scary... since we were only sitting on netting on the "wing" of the tiny sailboat directly over the sea, PLUS they didn't have infant life vests. But we managed to stay safe. ;) We also went on a boat ride around the island for an "island hopping tour" which was really just a scam because we didn't make it to any other island. But that's ok, because we enjoyed seeing the whole island from the boat.

It was a very fun vacation! If you can get past the poverty of the poor country in general, and look past the vendors begging to sell you something, it really is a tropical paradise. Getting there and back was the most difficult part of the whole trip. But even with all that said, I'd definitely go back.

Did you watch the last season of survivor? If so, you have a pretty good idea of what the Philippine islands look like. Absolutely stunning!

You can see all of our photos from the trip here. Enjoy!

Autumn Leaves

Fall in Nagoya is stunning - beautiful weather with colorful autumn leaves. Fall foliage is one of the most popular outdoor-friendly activities in Japan. There are several festivals and areas around Nagoya where you can enjoy the fall scenery. The most popular places to visit are the ones that light-up the leaves at night.

Unfortunately, we tried to go to one of the famous light-up spots - but were unsuccessful. We should have known that EVERY single person in the area was also trying to go see the leaves, so the traffic backup was just awful. After sitting in a line up of cars for just under an hour and not moving but a few feet, we decided that it just wasn't worth it - so we turned around and went home.

It's really too bad we couldn't see the famous red maple leaves lit-up at night at korankei gorge. This was on the top of my list of sites to see in Japan before we leave the country. But it is what it is, and we should have known better anyway. ANY site-seeing activity in this country is bound to come with thousands of people, traffic jams, no where to park, long lines, and the list goes on and on.

MHI/Boeing Picnic

We went to the first ever MHI/Boeing picnic at a nearby farm in the suburbs of Nagoya. It was a great way to finally meet some of Joe's co-workers. We lucked out with an absolutely beautiful day, so we were able to enjoy the sunshine, in the fresh country air, surrounded by friends and animals. It was Elodie's first time to see the farm animals, so it was a fun day for her too!

I don't know why I thought we'd be having grilled burgers and hotdogs for lunch - I guess I just assumed that since we were having a picnic BBQ, that's what we'd be eating. But I guess I should have known that Japanese-style picnics are much different than American style BBQ's! They cooked up some fresh "yakiniku" otherwise known as grilled meet and veggies, which you then dip in a variety of sauces. Although it was good, I think I prefer American-style BBQ's with burgers, corn on the cob, and potato salad much better. ;)

Jenny & Chad's Wedding

My other half, Jenny, got married on November 2! So now Chad officially has to share the title of "other half" with me. ;)

She was an absolutely stunning bride, and I loved her mushy-gushy look of pure happiness every time she looked at her new hubby. I couldn't be more happy for the newlyweds, they truly make a great couple!

 

Congratulations Jenny and Chad! May you have a lifetime of happiness together. :)

Catch-up

I had to change the date on the previous blog post (as well as this one), and will be working hard to play catch-up since I am a couple of months behind. I have lacked motivation to keep up with this blog for several reasons, including: blogger not allowing me to upload any more photos (had to create a new username and link it to this one... which was complicated and annoying), and the major issue being that several of you are still complaining that you can't access the blog because of the password settings.... WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THIS ISSUE, I PROMISE!

But with a new pink background and a new year ahead of me, I'm ready to get back into it! So stay tuned....

WAY BEHIND!

Yes, yes, I know.... I'm very behind on blog posts. :(

But to my defense, I've been very busy!

I have, however, kept up with our pictures on shutterfly. So enjoy those in the meantime!

Recent albums:

MI Trip - November '12

Jenny & Chad's Wedding - 11.2.12

Fall in Nagoya

With less than a year left in Japan --- YES, you heard correctly! We have an end date! Expect us back in Seattle in October 2013 --- It's time to check off each item on our 'To-Do List' of sites in Japan and this part of the world in general before we head back to the States. Stay tuned, it's going to be a crazy busy next few months!

Halloween - Japanese Style

Elodie and I recently joined a playgroup that meets a couple of times a month. They do a variety of activities together, such as trips to the zoo and/or aquarium, holiday parties, cooking classes, and sometimes it's simply just playing at someone's house.

We joined just in time to participate in their annual Halloween party!

Cutest ebi-nigiri sushi EVER!

Elodie and her friend Arwen.

Love my little sushi girl :)

Story time.

The treat table.

The monster cupcakes I made.

Fun party, cute costumes, & yummy treats. I had one exhausted baby when we got home!

A few days later, I attended a Halloween cupcake decorating class. The monster cupcakes we learned how to make completely showed up my own creation above, haha.

I had SO much fun attending this class. All of you who know me well know how much I love cupcakes. :)  With the right frosting consistency and correct decorating tools, they were all quite easy to make. The mummy is my favorite, and the easiest out of the 3 to make, too!

Now Elodie and I are off to the U.S. for a few weeks. Time to celebrate Halloween American-style!!!

Noh Theater

"Noh," derived from the Japanese word for "skill" or "talent," is one of the oldest existing forms of theater. It's a musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century.  Many characters are masked, and men generally play both male and female roles.

The traditional stage consists of a pavilion whose architectural style is derived from that of Shinto shrines, normally composed almost entirely of cypress wood. The floor is polished to enable the actors to move in a gliding fashion. The only stage decoration is the painting of a pine tree at the back of the stage. There is also a narrow bridge to the right of the stage that actors use to enter the stage. It's very simple, and stunning.

Noh theater is accompanied by a chorus. It's a chanted drama, using lengthy and repetitive phrases.  The ensemble also consists of 4 musicians, my two favorites are in the photo above.

The costumes (robes/kimonos) worn by actors are typically adorned in symbolic meanings for the type of role they are playing. In addition to their elaborate costume, they also wear masks. The noh masks are carnved from blocks of Japanese cypress, and then painted. Usually only the main actor wears a mask. The only prop used during the entire performance is usually a fan. You can see it closed in her right hand.

The show was actually quite long. The pre-performance show lasted about 30-45 minutes, and then the actual show took about 2 hours (or maybe even longer, as I'll admit that we left about half way through). I read that shows sometimes last all day. Although a bit boring, we enjoyed the overall Japanese experience of seeing a traditional theater performance.

Ise Shrine, Mie Prefecture

We took a weekend trip to Mie Prefecture, a couple of hours drive from Nagoya, to see the famous Ise Jingu Shrine - otherwise known as the Grand Shrine of Ise.

Ise Jingu consists of two shrines: the Outer Shrine (Geku), which is dedicated to the Shinto diety of clothing, food, and housing, and the Inner Shrine (Naiku), which enshrines the most respected deity, the Sun Goddess.

The two shrines are actually quite far from one another, separated by the densely wooded forest. I read that unlike most other Shinto shrines, these Ise shrines are built in a purely Japanese architecture style, which shows no influence from the Asian mainland. The site of the Ise Shrine has long been sacred, due to its forests of sacred Japanese cypress trees.

Being so well known as one of the most extraordinary grand shrines in Japan, I was expecting... well... "grandness." But really, these shrines were amazingly simple. Set in the forest, there is really nothing but trees, gravel lanes, and wooded building.

As you already know, I like to tell about adventures with pictures, so here's a slideshow of our trip!

Day 1: Unagi lunch, Ise Outer Shrine, fireworks at the hotel

Eel lunch... delicious!

The entrance gate to Ise Outer Shrine, you walk down this path through the woods to reach the main shrine.

Walking down the path to the main shrine (do you see Joe peeking his head out?)

I love this picture of Taku and Joe.

Outer Shrine's main entrance.

Pictures are strictly forbidden inside (which I didn't know!) and managed to snap this shot before being yelled at by security.

Mie Prefecture is right on the coast. This is the view from our hotel room.

Miyoko brought some fireworks, and we lit them on the beach!

Ise Day 2: scenic drive down the coast, Ise-style udon for lunch, walking through Ise town, Ise Inner Shrine, tea and akafuku mochi dessert at a Japanese tea house.

Rest stop along the way on our scenic coastal drive.

Udon is my favorite Japanese dish. Each prefecture has their own style, so I was excited to try Ise's famous udon noodles. Ise udon = concentrated soy sauce and sweet Japanese cooking sake are used to crate a black broth, which is then poured over thick, handmade noodles. Topped with spring onion. It was really yummy, but I have to say that I prefer Nagoya udon! :)

Walking through the town of Ise to the Inner Shrine.

Entrance gate and bridge to the main shrine.

So many of these adorable lanterns everywhere throughout both the Outer and Inner shrines.

Crowds waiting their turn to enter the Inner Shrine's main gate. Sorry, no photos allowed inside.

Akafuku Mochi dessert and tea. Akafuku mochi is a pounded rice cake confection topped with a sweet bean paste. The shape symbolizes the Isuzu River which flows through the Ise Grand Shrine region, with three ridges in the sweet bean paste representing the clear water that flows through the river, and the white mochi depicting the pebbles that lie on the riverbed. Wow, Japan's attention to detail and symbolism always amazes me!!!

We had such a great trip with wonderful friends. I love traveling in Japan, especially with friends who know the culture and region well. It's like having our own personal tour guides! :)  Thank you Miyoko & Co. for a great trip.

Nagashima Spa Land

Nagashima Spa Land is a major amusement park, just a short 30-minute drive from Nagoya. I've been here 2 and a half years, why am I just now finding out about this!?

It's the second largest amusement park in Japan and also includes a water park, onsen, Anpanman museum, & HUGE outlet shopping mall.

We spent the entire day in the water park, and had SO much fun! There was an indoor kid/baby area with pools, tiny water slides, swings, play areas, and even a baby wave pool! It's by far the best baby water park I've ever seen! Elodie was not a huge fan of the slide, as it was super slippery and she wiped out. But she loved the swings and wave pool!

We spent the later part of the afternoon lounging in the lazy river and the adults taking turns going down the big water slides. Luckily, all 3 babies napped at the same time - so the Dads watched them while the Moms had some fun! We had such a great time, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! :)

The mamas and their babies :)

My sweet little peanut had such a fun day!

There was so much to do in just the water park area - and even though we spent the entire day in this part, we didn't even get to go on all of the slides. So you definitely need a couple of days to explore the whole park - the amusement park side with all of the roller coasters & rides as well as the Anpanman museum, and then a whole other day for just shopping at the outlet mall!

Luckily we'll be here for one more summer, so I'm looking forward to going back to the water park next year. In the meantime, we're planning our next trip there hopefully this fall - to take Elodie to the Anpanman Museum, and then do some shopping at the outlet mall.