Fall in Kyoto

The tropical climate of the Japanese summer is gone and temperatures are getting chilly, touching a warm Swedish summer day. Some trees are just about to start shifting colors. The weather is clear and windy today, bringing scents of the approaching fall from the mountains surrounding Kyoto. I really like this city. It has a lot of personality. Steeped in early Japanese history but at the same time very international with a hint of a Europe to it. I have been in town for almost a week now and tonight I am leaving again. Going to meet Kai who finally got his shit together and resigned from that job in Malaysia. He and his girlfriend are picking me up with a car and we are going to his family's house in the mountains south of Nara.

This country is so full of paradoxes. Super modern and totally old fashioned at the same time. I saw a prototype head for a robot in Tokyo, looking like a real human face and imitating facial movements and expressions in an incredibly natural way. Yesterday there was a guy in a wheelchair in the subway. He entered at one station and got off at the next one. It was nice to see that the platform host assisted him when he got on the train, but what really impressed was how the host at the next station was actually waiting by the right train door, with a little foldable gangway to make it smother to roll the wheelchair off the train. How did he know that he should wait there? How did he get to the right place and where did the gangway come from???



This pic is not really related to the text, but I felt like uploading something. It is from the famous Ritsurin Koen in Takamatsu, showing the Crescent Moon Bridge and the Kigetsu-tei teahouse.

Japan goddammit!

I left Takamatsu earlier this afternoon and I am now writing from the Shinkansen (“Bullet train”) from Okayama to Kyoto. But let’s start from the beginning. As I mentioned in my last post, I left Malaysia on the evening of August 31. Or hey, let’s start from the real beginning of my Asian travels! That would be early spring of 1975, when my parents first put me on an airplane to bring me here. I was in Japan three times as a child and once as a teenager. We usually did a bit of traveling but spent most of the time at grandma’s place down in Kitakyushushi on the southernmost major island of Japan. Last time I returned to Japan was in August 1997, when I stayed for seven months and spent most of the time working in Tokyo. When I left the country that time, I really felt like it was my second home country and I thought I would be back within a few years. And now eleven years have passed! Needless to say, returning to Japan has involved loads of nostalgia and brought back a lot of memories. Embarking the plane in KL in the late evening of August 31, realizing that almost all the passengers were Japanese, and that people around me were trying to talk the language to me, I sort of realized that I was actually on my way. And after arrival it got really emotional, experiencing all the familiar but almost forgotten little details that make up daily life in a country. The design of the airport vehicles, small elements of architecture, smells, colors of plants, trees and the earth itself, the mumbling sound of people speaking on the train in to Tokyo, the massive amount of people in busy Tokyo crossings, etc. On the first evening I went to do some sightseeing but kind of gravitated towards the areas where I lived and worked last time I was here. The crappy old house where I used to live in Azabu Juuban was replaced with something new and shiny. The pub at the corner had a new name looked completely different. The building of Salsa Sudada in Roppingi, where I worked Friday and Saturday nights for a couple of months was under total renovation. But the coin laundry where I used to wash my clothes looked exactly the way it did when I left it and so did the neighborhood playground where my parents took me as a child.

After two nights at a hostel in Asakusa, I left Tokyo for Kitakyushu-shi, the hometown of my Japanese relatives. So far I have met my grandmother, my uncle Shojiro, a couple of other relatives, and Seigo - a childhood friend of my dad who has always been very friendly and helpful to me and my brother when we have visited Kitakyushu. Seeing that city again was great! Even if it is long ago, I have actually lived and worked in Tokyo as an adult. Kitakyushu on the other hand, is to me more associated with early childhood memories. The city is about as big as my hometown Stockholm, but it really is a provincial little town in Japan, not metropolitan at all. Extremely narrow streets winding the hillsides, small old fashioned houses. Virtually no one speaks English, and the signs on the stations are all in Japanese. Traditional homes with sliding doors, tatami floors and all the other little details that come with it.



I stayed at Khao San Tokyo, a hostel in Asakusa that seems to have borrowed a little from the Japanese capsule hotels. My "room" is where the light is on, to the left in the picture. The accommodation actually sucked, but I am used to that and I have seen much worse. And the price was manageable, 2 500 Yen. Plus a lot of laid back and nice people to meet in the reception/living room down stairs.



Asakusa is known for budget accommodation, traditional crafts shops and the big temple, Senso-ji. You are supposed to reach the temple thru a long shopping lane where all sorts of traditional and modern souvenirs are sold. But if you are not into shopping, it is nicer to approach it thru one of the back streets instead.



Senso-ji pagoda. Main entrance to the right in the picture.



I dropped by the 45th floor lobby bar of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Roppongi. The view towards Shinjuku was nice, the coffee tasted good and the service was excellent. But the bill for a double espresso was almost the same as a night at my hostel...

Rain in Takamatsu and experiencing Singapore through my digestive system.

I am in Takamatsu after a week at Shorinji Kempo headquarters. I was going to look at the famous garden of Ritsurin Koen today, but the weather has been shitty and the hotel has free broadband so I have barely left my room. But, before I dig to deep into my Japanese journey, it is time to finish the story of Southeast Asia.

Besides my visit to Pulau Tioman, described in the last blog post, I also spent some more time in KL and visited Singapore a few days before leaving SEA on a Malaysia Airlines flight from KL International Airport on the evening of August 31. I didn’t take many pictures and not much happened that is interesting to post in a blog, but I would at least like to mention the food in Singapore. It was stellar! My Singaporean ex-colleague Esther was at home when I went there, and she helped me organize a total gourmet holiday! Wish I had taken pictures of the dishes and made notes to present the full menu. Anyway, here is a small selection:

Haienese Chicken Rice & Crispy Bean Curd.
http://www.boontongkee.com.sg/
People fly in to Singapore from distant places to eat this. Does it need any further description?

Chili Crab & Mango Pudding.
http://www.jumboseafood.com.sg/Recodishes.html
It was beyond words. I was disoriented a couple of days after having this. It changed my perception of the world, of life, of everything.

Sambal Chili Fish Fillet, Prawn roll.
http://www.soshiok.com/articles/10467
Thai food!!! Yummy!!!

Sushi
http://www.sushitei.com/promotions.php
On my night of arrival in Singapore, I ate this. And I will never forget it. Possibly the yummiest sushi I have ever had. And I have tried the entire range, from the rough but filling stuff they serve near Feskekyrkan in Gothenburg, to treats at really classy old school places in Tokyo. At Sushi Tei, tradition meets creativity in an absolutely adorable way.

Taiwan steamed Dumplings, Prawn Fried Rice, Braised beef soup
http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/index.asp
Reminded me a little of traditional Japanese food at its best. Freshness and sophisticated understatements.

Microbrewery Beer & Brownie, Moh Gwai strong Ale
http://www.brewerkz.com/
Moh Gwai means Ghost in Chinese and there sure was something supernatural about it. The beer list reminded me of Rigger’s in Nelson, New Zealand, which I described in an earlier blog post. A total heaven of divine tastes. A lot more city-like than Rigger’s thou. Like, nicer interior design and you have to pay for the small trial glasses. The dessert brownie was a surprise, you don’t really expect a microbrewery to be sillily good at desserts. But hey, why not, this is Singapore. That brownie was so delicious, it actually made my vision a bit blurred and disrupted my balance and coordination for a few hours after the visit to the beer brewery.

More microbrewery Beer
http://www.archipelagobrewery.com/mainpage.html
A number of examples of highly refined agrarian produce. And a great name to remind a sailor of his beloved home waters!

And even more!
http://www.pumproomasia.com/Our-Beer-4,1.html
This place had one of the most impressive collections of booze I have ever seen on display in their window.



I guess I should post at least some pictures from Singapore. You probably can't see much, but click on the picture and it will at least appear a bit larger. It is lions from the Night Safari. Highly recommended!



Esther in Singapore, her natural habitat.

Malaysian travels and aggressive flesh-eating undead mutant monsters

Many people come to KL for the shopping. KLCC is one of the larger upmarket kind of shopping malls. But for a street market with bargain deals on pirated clothes, skip the malls and head for Jalan Petaling (Petaling Street) in China Town.

Malaysia is in the middle of SEA but still so different from its neighbors. It is wealthier, not wealthy like Singapore or the western world, but still enough to make a difference. People usually have what they need for a good life, even if they are rarely filthy rich. Maybe it is because of that, maybe it is because of something else in the culture, but traveling in Malaysia is sometimes so much easier than in its neighboring countries. I have often walked in to a restaurant and ordered a nasi goreng, or other simple food, without even looking at the price in the menu. Not one single time have I been seriously ripped off. It is very rare to be harassed by people trying to sell stuff to you on the street or on the beach. If you try to bargain about prices, people often don’t even understand what you want. The price reflects the shopkeeper’s costs plus a reasonable profit, not what they think a stupid westerner fresh of the airplane is ready to pay.

From KL I traveled to Pulau Tioman, or Tioman Island, on the southern part of the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. What is there to say about it? Go there. Now! I stayed at Happy Inn in Genting and at Ella’s Place in Salang. Both are very simple budget places, located in the middle of Paradise, with laid-back and friendly staff and very low standard. Many of the visitors at Genting are Chinese. It is a bit deserted at night. Salang doesn’t really have a crazy night life either, but at least there is a bar or two, where people actually go. The visitors in Salang are a mixed bunch of Malays, Chinese, and foreigners. Salang also has a larger variety of different dive centers with professional staff and good safety standards. But there are some really nice reefs right outside the beach, so you only need your snorkeling gear to get swimming among those corals and beautiful tropical fish. I did both scuba diving and snorkeling and it was wicked! As usual in this kind of place I met a lot of people from all around the world. Locals, Swedes, Singaporeans, Brazilians, Americans, Scotsmen, etc. Backpackers, business people, students, even a maritime piracy fighting specialist from US navy.



Hillsides along the beach north of Genting. Hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia.



The beach in front of the restaurant at Happy Inn.



Sunset seen from above mentioned restaurant.



This little friend was socializing with the tourists on the beach. The monitor lizards are sometimes really big. They are also very shy and avoid getting close to people, so no need worry, la.



This little creature was not shy at all. The scary bastard was hiding behind my bed. At first it kind of sneaked around carefully, like insects usually do. But when I attacked it with the toilet brush, it didn’t just die, or curl up in the defensive way you would expect. Instead it turned into a monster from outer space, trying to fight back, with a most intimidating and aggressive body language. It took a real battle to kill the little fucker and a while later it actually started moving again. I shit you not, I had to kill it three (3) times on the same evening. Look at the size of it! It is poisonous too, not very but enough to cause some pain. Beware of the aggressive, flesh-eating, undead mutant monster millipedes from outer space, which dwell behind your beds in Genting!



I also started my Japanese studies on Tioman, here at the restaurant at Happy Inn. This time I WILL get fluent in that ungodly language. Insh’ Allah.



View from my front porch. Pretty ok for about 10 USD a night.



Another little picture from the porch at Ella’s place. Everywhere around this region you can get coconuts to drink. Super yummy! Drink the sweet water inside with a straw, and use a spoon to eat the pulp.



The air fare from KL to Tioman is about 60 USD. Pretty ok, although it is a lot cheaper to go by bus and ferry. But the plane is a bit of an adventure and well worth the money. The airstrip in Tekek, Tioman, is small and squeezed in between the hillsides.



View from the airplane, small island northwest of Tioman.

Leaving Lumut

Back again! My last blog post was about Bali. After that, I returned to the job in Lumut on July 30. My last day at work was on August 8 and on that evening we had a good bye party on the beach. Thanks for the choice of place Bas, Cumar and Mohindra, thanks for the bbq squid Kai, and thanks for the other nice food and the company and all the rest, all you others who made this a memorable night! And sorry Bas and Cumar about the late o’clock ball kicking thing! The celebration incapacitated me for a large part of the following day. Oh, yeah, super thanx to Esther for taking care of the wreck of me in the small hours of the morning, arranging a place to sleep. Sniffing a bit of deja vu, anyone from Søren Larsen?

Before the party, I had to do some fairly rough negotiations over the contract, regarding the interpretation of “Company shall refund traveling expenses at start and end of contract from home address…” All for no reason, I am quoting my reference letter from the Captain: "...performed his duties in a safe, professional and efficient manner and proven himself to be a good seaman and an excellent shipmate." Finally the employer and I came to an agreement which allowed me more or less what the contract entitled me to, and made me refrain from suing the shit out of him. I realize that it may not seem very loyal for a former employee to post this information on the Internet, but my primary loyalty is to the ship, to good seamanship, and to other sailors out there. People I have sailed with are reading this blog, friends of mine, and it would be deeply wrong of me to give them the misconception that the Albatross, under the current management, is a good place to look for a job. Sometimes life for both employees and employers would be so much easier and work would be so much more efficient with laws, labor unions, clear rules, and all that stuff that you are used to from the civilized parts of the world. Why spend time making fuss about bullshit, when there is business to be done, and oceans to be sailed?

Anyway, on Monday the 10th, I finally got on the bus to KL. I spent a couple of days in the big city, just being super lazy, doing internet stuff and thinking about the nearest future. I will go back to Sweden to pick up my studies at university, but before that I am visiting Japan again. I had two different options for school. One was to be back around the end of August when the school year starts, the other one was to jump onto courses that start around the end of November. I have been thinking a lot about it and decided to go for the latter option, to be able to spend more time in Japan. Can't believe it has been more than eleven years since the last time I left my second home country! At the time of my first visit I was 3 months old, and after that I have been back on a more or less regular basis, until I left in March 1998, not to return until now. This time I am going to get a grip of that son-of-a-bitch language, and get more or less fluent. The plan is to study Japanese 24 hours a day, except for some days when I skip lunch and do 25 hours.