Kobe by night

January 30, 2015

I was racing against the sunset to get to the pier, hoping to capture some photos before it completely got dark and I was LUCKY. If I could pick one touristy thing to do in Kobe, it had to be going up the Kobe Port Tower. Using the Kobe Welcome Coupon I got from the tourist information centre at Kansai Airport (or you can always click that link above and print it out) I enjoyed a 100 yen off the usual 700 yen entrance fee to the tower.

Because it was also a weekday, I got the top most observatory deck almost to myself. It’ll be romantic if I had company.

The view of the City of Kobe was superb from up there. The photo directly above this text reminds me of a view I’d get looking out from Marina Bay Sands and into the central business district of Singapore. Except that the buildings in Singapore are taller, more clustered together and we sure as hell didn’t have a mountain peeking out in the distance.

I was getting really hungry because I haven’t had proper food the whole day. My onigiri and bottle green tea has long digested, and I needed my Kobe beef PRONTO. The last city loop bus had already left the Kobe Port Tower, so I needed to find my way back to Sannomiya station.

Using Google maps, I walked towards Motomachi, one of the longest covered shopping street I’ve seen. Things were definitely more bustling during the day, as the shops were already starting to roll their shutters for the night even though it was just 730 in the evening. Sannomiya was only a train stop away from Motomachi, since Google maps has started to become a little wonky, I decided against walking and hopped on the train instead. Less stress, less time taken to reach my destination.

At last, I’ve reached STEAKLAND, the steak place in Kobe widely reviewed by bloggers around the world. If I had the time and budget, I would have gone somewhere off the grid, but I didn’t, so I stuck to Steakland.

And true to the reviews, it didn’t disappoint! The 6-course meal comes with quite a hefty price tag too. Paying around 6600 yen altogether, the meal comes with a salad and miso soup to start, hors d’oeuvres of smoked salmon and capers, the yummiest small grilled seafood platter I’ve tasted that includes a slice of grilled konyaku jelly. Strange, but delicious. Flavourful beef stew with some pieces of beef laced with fat. So sinfully good. Of course, teppanyaki almost always comes with a generous serving of bean sprouts. I can hear both Ayshie and Ummar’s voices judging me as I tucked into them sprouts. TOO BAD YOU DON’T LIKE THEM, GUYS.

I don’t know much about beef, what’s a good grade, the marbling of the meat etc. But all I know was that the steak with prepared with such skill that for the first time I got to experience meat melting in your mouth. Yes, I finally knew what it meant when people describe meat like that.

Seasoned with only garlic chips, salt and pepper, the chef recommended the steak to be done medium rare. Even though I like my steak medium done, I was game to try whatever the chef recommended. The result was meat that was still reddish, slightly charred with a bouncy texture and so tender, so flavourful that I really took my time to savour every bite.

The dessert of strawberry sorbet complemented the meal, giving a sour perk me up after an otherwise heavy, flavour-packed meal.

I will need to expose myself to a wider variety of steak before I could properly give a verdict to what I like and do not like about my Kobe beef experience. But personally, I prefer the char-grilledness of a western styled steak to how the Kobe beef was seared right in front of my eyes. Then again, I never had a western styled steak melt in my mouth before so.

That meal lasted me the entire journey back to Kansai Airport and breakfast and lunch the next day! It should because I spent half of my budget on it. But I would definitely recommend anyone who’s going to Kobe to try the Kobe beef once. Just once to tide you a lifetime.

After dinner, I made my way to the pick up point where the bus would take me back to Kansai Airport. Another reason why I love the Kansai region more than Tokyo: Kansai Airport opens 24/7 so you don’t have to worry about catching the early bus or train to the airport. You can take your time with dinner, enjoy the city lights and then make your way back to the island where the airport (and my hotel) was located.

Kobe, CHECKED. Where in Japan shall I go next?

Kobe by day

January 27, 2015

I had one of those 2x two-nighter trips in Osaka last week. While I spent the first half lazing around in the hotel room and caught up on sleep, I was determined not to waste the second two-nighter. These trips were hard to come by. Everyone else decided to stay close to the airport, only venturing out to Rinku Town, a train stop away; I booked a return bus ticket to Kobe, and geared myself for the day of solo exploring.

Of course, I had a Kobe checklist. I had so many things to do, so little time. I started from Kansai Airport a little past noon, hence was already behind schedule. Contemplated a Kobe beef lunch, but thought I might just settle for an onigiri and bottled green tea to tide me till dinner. Sightseeing > Food.

First stop: Ikuta Shrine

The Ikuta shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the heart of the city. It isn’t too difficult to find, but I marvelled at the tranquility of the temple grounds, amidst the hustle and bustle of the city life outside the gates.

The shrine resembles the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, but is tiny compared to the vastness of the Fushimi Inari compound. It even features a row of the iconic orange and black torii gates, however nowhere near as magnificent as the ones I saw in Kyoto. I love that it’s peaceful and quiet, except for this Chinese kid who stomps around, repeatedly screaming intelligible words.

My next stop was Kitano Ijinkan. As the places of attraction in Kobe were many and some weren’t really of a walkable distance, I hopped on the green and red retro City Loop bus and paid 660 yen (~SGD7.50) for an unlimited one-day pass and zoomed towards my destination. The City Loop bus only goes one-way, hence it’s best to pick out the attractions of choice on the map and plan it according to the bus’s route. The whole loop, which comprises of 17 stops takes about 63 minutes to complete. If you missed a stop, well.. Good luck!

Now this was a very unique place to visit in Kobe. The Kitano area is dotted by western-style houses built by foreigners who arrived in Kobe during the late Meiji and early Taisho eras in Japan. The area had European-style museums (even a Sherlock Holmes’ house), art museums and little vintage shops selling kitschy items. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of time to chill at one of the cafes there, but I managed a cuppa at a Starbucks built into an old American-style house!

There were four different lounges, all fashioned like what you’d normally see in a house (minus all the extra tables and chairs). There was a library, a cosy little living room and a sun room on the second floor, and it wasn’t unusual to see people darting in and out of the rooms taking pictures. The ambience was marvellous, nothing compared to what we have here in Singapore. Unfortunately, this special Starbucks didn’t offer anything special on the menu, except for the tumblers and mugs launched early for Valentine’s Day next month. I couldn’t help to grab a tumbler even though I have so many at home, and mum’s gonna kill me.

The next destination on my list was the Kobe Muslim Mosque. While at the Ikuta shrine, I drew a fortune and it didn’t read so well. There were lots that I need to be cautious about this year, and I was feeling a little jaded. I may or may not believe in a written fortune, but I sure believe in God’s Grace. I took to the map, but the journey to the mosque was ridiculously difficult as the map didn’t exactly point me in the right direction. But the sights along the way were worth getting lost for.

It took a bus trip, a 990 yen spent on a cab to get to the mosque. I had a map, and unlike the majority of the female population, I know how to read it. The damned map wasn’t detailed enough to tell me where exactly the mosque was. When the cab pulled up in front of the mosque, I realised to my dismay that I shouldn’t have left the Kitano area in the first place. Bleh.

Founded in 1935 the Kobe Muslim Mosque is the first mosque ever built in Japan. It withstood the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 while most of the city had been flattened. Amazing isn’t it? God is great.

There were two other Muslim sisters outside the mosque premises taking pictures when I arrived. The door looked closed and it was past the late afternoon prayer time, we weren’t sure if it was open. Oh well, that didn’t stop me from uttering a small prayer though. Hopefully this year will be kind to me.

It was almost 5 pm and the sun was already setting. I needed to make one more stop before the sun sets, and tracing my steps back to Kitano Ijinkan and boarding the bus on time was a close shave.

My next post will feature the Kobe Port Tower, and the famous Kobe beef of course! So do stay tuned :)

Fushimi Inari Taisha

November 10, 2014

After being slightly disappointed by the Bamboo forest, I still needed to cover one more place before sundown. The Fushimi Inari shrine is a place I’ve been wanting to visit in the longest time, way before I watched the kid run through the thousand torii gates in the Memoirs of a Geisha… it’s part of my bucket list. I needed it not to suck, because well, I’ve travelled all the way to be in some place I’d really wanted to go in the longest time. Thankfully, it hadn’t disappoint.

It was a 10-minute walk from the Bamboo forest to the JR Saga-Arashiyama station (20 if you’re like me, getting distracted by a local hidden bookstore selling unique, handmade postcards). Take the train on the JR Sagano line back to Kyoto station (15 minutes) before hopping over to the JR Nara line which will take you to JR Inari station on the Nara line (5 minutes). The famous shrine is just a 5-minute walk away and the thousand torii gates are another 5 up a thousand stairs.

From what I’ve gathered reading and asking around, Inari is the God of rice. The Inari was seen as a patron of business, where abundance of wealth and prosperity were most sought after. Therefore, merchants worshipped it. The Fushimi Inari shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also called Inari, that has a trail that takes approximately 2 hours to trek before reaching the peak.

Kitsune, or Foxes were regarded as messengers and were supposedly found in the inari shrines though I had been fortunate/unfortunate enough not to have ran into them during my trek. The foxes and the bright orange shrine gates were something that’s unique to the Fushimi Inari shrine. I’ve been to a couple of shinto shrines in Japan where people will write their wishes and prayers on a piece of wood and hang it in the temple grounds. None of the shrines I’ve been to had the offerings in the shape of the iconic orange torii gate. There were even prayer offerings in the shape of fox heads. Most didn’t have prayers written on them, just pure creativity and a teeny bit of genius.

During my hour of exploring the temple grounds and hiking up the stairs through the torii gates, naturally I made a bunch of friends. There were Aris, Ari and Bobby from Indonesia whom were snapping pictures with their fancy schmancy cameras. They were surprised to find out that I speak a little bit of Bahasa Indonesia and they were even more surprised to know that I was travelling alone. Our encounter was short as I was racing against the sunset to cover more ground. It was great to meet fellow travellers from Southeast Asia.

There were too many tourists at the base of the trail, eagerly snapping pictures and waiting for their turn for their own photo op. PRO TIP: There are THOUSANDS of those torii gates. Chances are, if you bother walking a little deeper, you’d find less people and still the same number of majestic toriis behind you. If you are travelling solo like me, good luck trying to get someone to take a photograph for you. Thankfully, I met Ammar. He was photographing a Coke bottle when I chanced past him. We struck up a great conversation and he offered to take some photos of me with the toriis as a background. Yay. The dude haz mad photography skillz. You should check out his Instagram here. Trust me, he knew how to make me look decent on camera.

I didn’t manage to hike up to the peak because the mosquitos were killing me. They were vicious and their bites were so painful I was tearing up and scratching my skin off till it bled. ANOTHER PRO TIP: BRING INSECT REPELLENT. Other than the mosquitos causing the experience I will never forget, it was a pleasant walk. The sun was setting, the weather was cool and the further you hike, the less people you see and the more cats you find minding their own business. Even when it was semi dark the trail was beautiful.

I hiked back down the trail after surrendering to the wrath of the mosquito bites and tried looking for the stalls selling fortune cookies, alas, it was too late and all the stalls were closed. Oh wells. Back to Kyoto City.

Part of the reason why I am totally delaying my posts was because I am reliving my trip through writing these travelogues. Every post I publish marks a day less and this post signifies the end of my stay in Kyoto. I was going to catch a plane to Tokyo the next day to meet my friends who were already there. As much as I didn’t want to leave beautiful Osaka and Kyoto, I had to. My vacation time here is up. Someday I’ll come back during work time, but it’s gonna be different.

I took advantage of the all-you-can-ride bus pass and went back to Gion for one last chigiri mochi and a walkabout before finally boarding that bus and headed back to the hostel. It was perfect timing because the moment I stepped into the machiya, it started pouring and the storm lasted all night. Thank God.

Standing by the Kyoto station staring up at the tower I didn’t have the budget for this time, I bade farewell to Kyoto. Tomorrow the Haruka express awaits me to take me back to Kansai International Aiport for my flight to Tokyo.

Yudofu Sagano : The Tofu-centric lunch

October 14, 2014

I am quite the carnivore, though I’ve been raised to eat all kinds of veggies too. Except chye sim, I really hate those. I must have some kind of meat in every meal that I eat, or I won’t feel satisfied. Once upon a time, Ummar took me to Delivege, a place specialising in all things vegan. Mock fish, mock meat, mock sushi. Though I enjoyed it, I don’t think I’ll abandon my love for meat any time soon. A full vegeterian meal? Only when I have absolutely no choice. But I was in Arashiyama, and I’ve got to try that quinessential Buddhist speciality which was the yudofu.

Yudofu Sagano is one of the restaurants that offers this all-tofu kaiseki menu. It was slightly cheaper than the crab kaiseki I had at 3,800 JPY (~SGD40), and no less delicious. The tofu set came with 8 different side dishes ranging from konnyaku jelly to itty bitty fish. Without further ado…

Course #1: Onsen Tamago

Essentially soft-boiled egg Japanese style in light soy sauce. As always, I am in awe at how the yolk’s been cooked. Not too runny and not too hard. Perfect starter to the meal.

Course #2: Konnyaku sashimi

It was printed as ‘Devil’s Tongue Jelly’ on the menu. I’ve never kissed a real devil before, hence I didn’t know what to expect. The friendly lady who served me said it was ‘konnyaku jelly’ and my fears were immediately eased. It was almost transparent and flat, very chewy and crunchy at the same time… like jellyfish. The sweet yellow sauce had an interesting tangy flavour to it.

Course #3: Goma tofu

Goma, or sesame tofu was my favourite of the lot. This tiny little square of goodness was not like the normal tofu. It was slightly dense, somewhat chewy and packed with sesame goodness. I was too shy to ask for another piece.

Course #4: Raw Wheat Gluten

Raw Wheat Gluten also known as seitan in Japanese (I had to stifle my giggle at this, because it sounds like what we’d call the devil in Malay) tastes like meat. I had absolutely no idea what it was till I asked my best friend, Google. Turns out, the gluten is indeed used as a meat substitute. The texture was like mince beef but slightly chewier and sweet.

Course #5: Fried tofu mixed with vegetables

More like tofu mixed with spices, it was delicious but my least favourite of the lot. I have a tiny dislike for fried tofu, unless it’s smelly tofu with yummy sauce or the Indonesian tahu telur. This tofu had tiny bits of veggies in it. I took a little bit longer to finish this one.

Course #6: Gori boiled with soy sauce

These tiny little fish reminded me of anchovies, tasted like anchovies. There was nothing special about them, just a good accompaniment to the tofu dish.

Star of the meal: Yudofu

Yudofu translates to ‘hot water tofu’. It’s tofu boiled in a hot pot with a piece of konbu and some dashi added for a hint of flavour. The tofu is left to boil for 15 minutes, and eaten with spring onions and shoyu. The tofu wasn’t like any of the store bought varieties I was used to. Each tofu was freshly made, silky smooth and had a clean taste. I took my time with the six pieces of tofu, and by the time I was done, I was stuffed. Before today, I would have never imagined being satiated by just tofu.

Course #8: Tempura Vegetables

Because I was such a pig, I forgot to take a picture of the tempura variety. It consisted of egg plant, sweet potatoes (my least favourite veggie) and sweet Japanese ginger. They were coated very lightly in batter but were crispy and not greasy at all. Yum.

Course #9: Chilled Silken Tofu Pudding

I was hoping for the dessert not to be ice cream because I was already stuffed. Imagine my relief when this little plate of goodness was presented before me. The tofu pudding was chilled, sweet, smooth and super duper yummy. The berry sauce topping was perfect too. Again, I was too shy and too full to ask for one more.

I’ve never had so much tofu in one sitting, and I must say I was totally impressed. What I experienced was a simple, lovingly prepared and a delicious shojin ryori, overlooking a pretty bamboo garden. Still, even though I enjoyed every bite of the meal, I won’t be giving up my carnivore status any time soon.

Yudofu Sagano
45 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto,
Kyoto Prefecture 616-8385, Japan
Opening Hours: 1100 – 1900

Tip: It isn’t very easy to find, as the restaurant is kinda blocked by a row of statues. My best bet was Google Map, and/or ask a local where ‘Sagano’ is. They’ll point you to the right direction. I literally circled the restaurant TWICE before figuring it out.

KITTEH!

September 18, 2014

Now don’t say I didn’t warn you. The next 10 or so pictures are going to overload your senses. CATS. CATS. CATS!

I’ve had the pleasure of encountering the -supposedly- first cat cafe opened in Osaka. Neko No Jikan just a minute off Ame-mura, and you must possess eagle eyes to spot the sign or you’d just walk past it like I did at least 4 times before I found it. It was a Sunday, and the cafe closes early on Sundays and Mondays hence I was so lucky to have found it in time. I was even luckier because the place wasn’t packed with people like most parts of Shinsaibashi was that day. Mostly, I had the cats to myself.

Kittehs did what all kittehs do. They mind their own business. They hardly care that we were there, strangers fleeting in and out of their lives, because they were very used to it. I encountered the most aloof cats, the cuddly ones and the downright strange ones. For 1250 JPY you get a drink and an hour with these furry little darlings.

I was sitting on the floor watching a wrestling match between two cats when I felt eyes boring into the back of my head. I looked up and I saw this. A kitty silently judging me for all the dumb things I’ve got into that day.

My favourite kitteh was obviously the aloof black cat. He didn’t pay me much attention, but got jealous when I pet his other friends. This kitty reminded me of a human I know. Hahaha. My second favourite was this little kitty with long body and short legs. I wondered how her parents looked like.

I enjoyed my one hour of peace in this sanctuary with the cats, not having to weave in and out of crowds and squinting at Google maps trying to look for a particular place. With all the cat cafes that are sprouting back home in Singapore, I wouldn’t mind taking up a part time job looking after the furry lil monsters.

A Crabby Kaiseki Lunch | Kani Doraku Honten

September 17, 2014

You can’t possibly miss this huge ass crab upon walking into Doutonbori Street. I saw it the first time I came to Namba, and wondered what was so awesome about the multi-level restaurant that one would have to take a queue number just to get in. This time, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to get a queue number (and kill time at F21) to see what the hype was all about.

Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course Japanese meal. Depending on the restaurant, it could be simple… or extravagant. Lunch is usually much, much cheaper than dinner. I personally enjoy a variety in my food and in small quantities, so a kaiseki meal is perfect for me. Let’s begin!

Course #1: Boiled Crab Claws

It was a simple and fresh start to an elaborate meal. I love how easy it was to get the meat out, and while chopsticks were provided, I wasn’t afraid to use my hands to get through the difficult to reach bits. The meat was flaky, chewy and rather flavourful. I preferred it on its own than dipping into the light, tangy sauce that had been served with it.

Course #2: Crab Sashimi

As much as I love my sashimi, I was a little hesitant with these. I love crabs, but.. raw crabs? Oh what the hell, this was Japan. If I could eat raw shellfish that was still moving on the plate.. I could handle some raw crabs. It turned out to be my favourite dish of the lot. The meat melts in your mouth, and it was sweet, slightly salty and just pure heaven. Even now, 10 days on I can still feel the texture on my tongue and that is bad. Real. Real. Bad. I WANT SOME CRAB SASHIMI NAOOO.

Course #3: Chawanmushi

After a heavenly experience with the sashimi, the chawanmushi was quite a letdown. There was nothing entirely special about the egg custard, more than I am used to anyways. It was like every other chawanmushi, soft, silky and savoury. I do enjoy the two ginko nuts hidden somewhere in the cup.

Meanwhile, the rice in the steamer cooks.

Course #4: Tempura

Next up, I was served a plate of tempura. There was crab leg, sweet potato and ginger (with a pink tip). The sweet potato was the only thing I didn’t like, but that’s because I am not the biggest fan of it. The ginger was yummy, sweet and crunchy while the crab leg was what crab legs were. Yummy.

Course #5: Pasta and Cheese with Grilled Crab

I getting a little full at this point and was horrified when they brought in a bowl of carbs. Great. The pasta and cheese dish was served in a hot plate that kept it nice and warm till the last bite. The best part about this dish was the grilled crab. One bite, and the flavour exploded in my mouth. I wish it was cheesy crab bits instead of pasta. That would be PERF.

Course #6: Kani Claypot Chazuke

More carbs. -insert horrified expression here- This dish was the hardest work. I had to scrape boiled crab meat onto the rice and give it a good mix… and also, I was really, really full. I didn’t want to waste any food for the price I am paying for this lunch so I had to finish every single bit of rice in my bowl. The process was simple. Scrape some meat on the mountain of rice in your bowl, pour a generous serving of tea, add pickles… EAT!

Course #7: Matcha Ice Cream

A perfect closing to a perfect lunch. Nothing too heavy, and I love that it wasn’t too sweet. The matcha tasted so good, I couldn’t help but to slurp it all down after I was done with the ice cream. It had a slightly bitter aftertaste, but I LOVE it.

It was overall an interesting experience, sitting through a 7-course lunch. The food may not be as mind blowing as I expected it to be, considering I paid about 4,700 yen (SGD 55) for it, but I walked out of the restaurant feeling really satisfied. Plus, it kept me full way past dinnertime too, so I got to save some cash. Heh heh. The experience was enjoyable, and the view of the shopping street below was great to look at. I finally can say that I’ve dined in one of the iconic restaurants in Namba.

SIN-KUL-KIX

September 15, 2014

Friday, 05 September 2014

And my journey begins TODAY! Armed with my Kanken and a relatively big blue backpack, I am ready to take on Japan! But of course, what’s an adventure without a little risk…. or getting into some kind of trouble?

I ran into my first problem even before leaving my home country. I had two flights to make that day. One was on Jetstar Asia to Kuala Lumpur, and the connecting flight was on Malaysian Airlines to Kansai International Airport, Osaka. Being an airline staff has its perks and drawbacks too.

Mistake #1: I overlooked the fact that it was Friday night, and Malaysians who worked in Singapore might wanna catch the last flight to KL that evening, so my chances of getting on the flight is close to zero. Unless there were no show.

Coincidentally, Mazlan was coming back from his long-ass trip and we promised to meet before I left. Got to greet the rest of the JQ7 crew from Melbourne at the arrival hall too. I had to think of my options, fast. To make matters worse, I can’t login to my staff travel portal to amend my booking, or to check if other flights were available for me to board. The only obstacle I had to cross was this flight from Singapore to KL, and it was proving to be rather impossible.

I had Seri on the line too, and the awesome girl helped me check out the flight availabilities. The earliest possible I could fly would probably be the next day. Which wasn’t a huge issue because I was at home ground, and could easily turn back.

I guess God prevented me from login into the portal for reasons He only knew at that time, because by His grace, there were 15 no shows on the flight, which means I could GET ON! Mazlan was jokingly telling me to miss my flight, so that we could meet up with Seri the next day. Don’t get me wrong, I love you both but… NOT A CHANCE, BABY!

And I’m off!

This was my first time on Malaysian Airlines and I loved the experience. No, I am not afraid to fly with MH after the two unfortunate incidents because let’s face it, it can happen to me on any flight I get on… even for work. Flew on an Airbus A330, a slightly different aircraft than what I’m normally used to. They had bigger galleys and impressively large toilets.

I spent the whole 6 hours catching up on Malay movies because what other airlines had Malay movies in their in-flight entertainment, while everyone was sleeping. The only thing I didn’t like about the whole thing is that there were too many announcements made, even if it was a night flight and everyone was sleeping. And the wake-up lights that came on for breakfast service came on so suddenly, I had quite a shock. Breakfast was so-so, because I had the omelette. The steward on my side hadn’t given a choice, even when I heard that there was rice.. But oh well.

It was nearly 7 in the morning when we landed in KIX. Disembarked, got my bags, purchased my train tickets and off I went to my hostel at J-Hoppers Osaka. Walking towards the station, I saw the walkway leading to the hotel we normally stay at when we’re here for work. Go that way? NOPE. Not this time! Unfortunately, check-in was after 3 pm, but they were really nice to hand me a blanket and let me sleep in the basement lounge while waiting for my bed to be ready.

J-Hoppers Osaka was very easy to find. I took a direct train from Kansai Airport Station (JR line) to JR Fukushima station. Turn left towards Mister Donut and turn left without going past the shop into a coloured street. At first, I didn’t know what they meant by that. But check out the road. It was literally coloured. The hostel is on the left of the street, two minutes walk down.

Risen from momentary sleep mode.

December 23, 2013

NOPE! Haven’t abandoned this writing space just yet! Work is taking up almost 75% of my time right now, and the past trip had been terrible and awesome at the same time. Terrible because my phone broke, AGAIN… and I left all my credit cards at home and was forced to survive on 150 SGD and leftover NZD from my previous trip. Awesome because I spent 11 days with the craziest crew thus far.

More soon!

#overlyattachedcrewmate

November 21, 2013

Friday, 15 November 2013

We came out to a beautiful, sunny Gold Coast that morning and despite being completely exhausted, Zahra, Mazlan and I decided to spend some time baking at the beach. Gold Coast is easily one of my favourite Aussie destinations and we were extremely fortunate to have our hotel so conveniently located at the Surfers Paradise.

The waves were epic and reminded me of the waves I saw in Koh Phangan, Thailand and the water was blissfully cold. Zahra was trying her best to tempt me to get into the water, but with all my might, I managed to plant my ass on the sand and not get my denim shorts wet.

Note to self: Always pack swimwear in the luggage.

Slept through the storm and woke up when Mazlan called and asked if I wanted to join him in checking out a pizza place down the road. Despite being bleary-eyed and would rather spend my evening in bed surrounded by pillows, I relented. A night out in Surfers Paradise was always an interesting scene. Besides, it’s Friday night… and we had to work the next day. Sobs.

Saturday, 16 November 2013

You know what sucks more than working on a Saturday? Not working when half of the team is working on the same plane you’re sitting leisurely on. Don’t get me wrong, I was very lucky to have the ‘day off’. But sitting in the cabin for more than 9 hours doing nothing makes time crawl ever. so. slowly. So I spent a quarter of my time sleeping, the next quarter eating, the next staring into space and the last accompanying Mazlan at the back.

First night in Osaka was short. We were both exhausted, so we got some takeout from the convenience store (because we arrived too late for anything to be opened) and settled in my room for a movie marathon. So much for a movie marathon. This was what I found after I was done ironing my uniform, just 15 minutes into the first movie.

Sunday, 17 November 2013

Osaka ROUND 2 – STARTO!

I’ve been to Osaka twice this month, and both times with Mazlan. Apparently he thought so too, because he commented, “Wasn’t I here just a few weeks ago… with you?”

Unlike three weeks ago when our pockets were brimming with money and went out shopping like there was no tomorrow, we were completely broke. Settled for a nice lunch of omelette rice and covered the shops we didn’t managed to see the last time. There was a bagel cafe nestled in a quiet corner of the outlet stores and every single time we walked by it, he’d go “Sesame bagels..” with a cheeky grin on his face. Every. Single. Time. Sigh. Pie.

27.10.2013/ 17.11.2013 – Same store, same cap, same two people, different clothes, different days

We decided to head back early because, yet again, we had to work that evening. This was getting old, and honestly, I can’t wait to go home. Upon reaching our hotel, we noticed a white sheet of paper sticking out from under Mazlan’s hotel room door. With eyes wide and terrified, he pointed… “Do you see this?”

Crap. I hurried to my room which was two doors down and saw nothing underneath mine, much to my half relief and half oh-no-he’s-going-to-be-shipped-off-somewhere. And we were right. This flight back to Gold Coast tonight was going to be the last flight we were going to have together. While everyone’s heading to Melbourne and then home to Singapore, he was heading to Sydney then Bangkok.

Oh wells. Luckily we had time to relive our deprived childhood by waiting a long long time just for a big cloud of cotton candy.

Monday, 18 November 2013

Remember this picture? This was taken after the first flight when he was heading to Gold Coast, while the rest of us… Sydney. All good things must come to an end. It’s only fitting to take a final picture before going our separate ways. So here’s one to end our trip.. he to Sydney and everyone else to Melbourne and then the following day back to Singapore.

Why #overlyattachedcrewmate
Even though we’re working together on the same aircraft for 8 days, we weren’t usually assigned in the same zone. When I am at the mid, he’s at the back… and when I am at the back, he’s up front at Business. But didn’t keep us from annoying the crap out of each other. We were virtually inseparable.

We’d always find excuses to be in each other’s zones. Mostly to annoy each other or to have a laugh, or to exchange stories like we haven’t seen each other in ages. I braved myself past the biz class to visit him when he was placed up front and from what I heard, he’d always ask our manager if he could go out to the economy class.

When he was working, and I taking it easy to Osaka, I accompanied him at the back while the rest of the crew were resting. My attempts to get back to my seat and leave him alone to do work failed when he says, “Don’t go lah. I’m alone here.”

On the last night when I didn’t expect to see him much throughout the flight because of the completely different zones we were in, he found every opportunity to say hi to me at the back. Be it to rest in the economy class when he could stay up at business, or to steal crew snacks from the back… which earned a yelling from yours truly… It was nice to be entertainingly annoyed during the quiet nights.

And when we’re finally working in the same zone, I told him that I was going to the back to say hello and he whines, “Don’t leave meeee.” To which I retorted, “We’re in the same zone what. Be right back lah.” And I trekked up to the back to find him standing right next to me a few seconds later with a smug look on his face. Look at my overly attached friend.

Off the aircraft, we’re always together as you can see from the pictures above. He’s a real awesome shopping buddy, I swear. He’d tell me if the shirt I was contemplating on buying sucked, or forced me to buy the leather jacket he found attractive on me. He’s also very game to do anything I suggested, no matter how exhausted he was. We get along so well, we get the same question asked by every new crew who joined us… “Are you two batchmates?”

Every. Single. Day. And the answer is… “YES, WE ARE.”

It’s rare that we’d be put in the same roster pattern, but the trips were never boring with this boy around. Lemme get past being bored of seeing your face first (a total of 16 days is no joke, baby), then… HOPE TO FLY TOGETHER AGAIN SOON!

#badluckmazlan

November 20, 2013

Ten days without a post, yikes. I really need to do something about this long period of absence from blogosphere. It’s not about dry spells or zero ideas for a post. I have tons of things to share, just have no time to do it. Things aren’t going to be better in the coming month, but I’ll try harder to post regularly.

In the meantime… here’s a story about my dear friend Mazlan. The past seven days with him around had been a total blessing. So I thought we might entertain you with the silly happenings of the past week. I’ve broken our week up into two parts (in hashtags that were very much used during our trip), to keep you from falling asleep. :P

Monday, 11 November 2013

It all started with me finding something of his while packing up for work. When I told him I’d put it in his folder in the office because it’s almost impossible to see each other because of our schedules, that was when he said, “I’m flying with you tonight.”

And I went, “Eh?”

I was prepared for an uneventful trip. I packed my Macbook, movies and a few books to keep me entertained during the nights (or mornings, depends on what time we get in) but with him there, I know we’re going to have some fun and mischief up our sleeves.

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Unfortunately, upon our arrival in Melbourne the next morning, we found that Mazlan didn’t have a connecting flight with the rest of us to Sydney. He was to fly to Gold Coast and be on standby out there, on his own. Well, so much for having a batch mate on your trip. So with a lot of teasing and a heavy heart, we said our goodbyes, and while he got on his plane, the rest of us were stuck in the terminal… waiting to board our delayed aircraft.

I woke up from my sleep that evening to find a text from him, saying that he’ll see us again tomorrow. Happy that he’s gonna be on the team again, and a little disgruntled that he’s not going to work on the extra flight, I geared myself up for the very long day ahead.

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Flew from Sydney to Gold Coast, bumped into Ash and his team who were heading off to Osaka, swapped aircrafts that’ll take us to Narita and waited for the two crew members who hadn’t arrived. Mazlan came onboard and the whole team went, “WELCOME BACK!”

I still don’t understand why people up there didn’t just let him stay with us throughout.

Narita was fuh-reee-zing when we arrived. Bundled up in our semi-winter wear and headed out for sushi. The walk was long and the weather was bitter cold but we were kept entertained by ghost stories and other gossips. It was so damn cold, I literally felt my cheeks defrosting when I stepped into the sushi place. I don’t know how Mazlan managed to walk in the cold with his toes exposed.

Tried crab brain sushi, much to the rest of my friends’ horrors… they came in pairs and they were as revolting as they looked. At least I could say that I’ve tried!

Thursday, 14 November 2013

Mazlan and I had our own little adventure working around the shuttle bus timings to get to a nearby shopping mall. Narita is seriously inconvenient to get around if you’re not street smart. Thankfully, I had an excellent partner in crime.

He grabbed a crepe while I waited around for my ice cream soda. I am not usually a fan of sweet stuff as they drive me crazy, but when I took a bite out of his parfait crepe.. I wanted one of my own. For those who are heading to Narita, the crepes are located on the second floor of Aeon Mall. They were the best things ever.

We headed back pretty early to pack and mentally prepare ourselves for the flight back. The weather was perfect for sleeping, and we were so bummed that we had to work that evening. We were both so sleepy, and I really needed to psych myself for the night that awaited us. Lucky for all of us, the ride was smooth sailing.

Two zombies (among others) flying back to Gold Coast that evening

Why #badluckmazlan

I learnt from him that being on rostered standby sucks. There is no certainty in how many days you work, and who you’d be flying with. They could call you and take you away from the team you’ve grown comfortable working with and make you go elsewhere. Then there was a mysteriously funny case of him losing ALL his luggage tags. God knows why, but he’d always get his luggage out from the conveyor belt sans tag. He even had to borrow mine when we went separate ways because I was going home and he, to Bangkok.