Wednesday 17 September 2008

August 2008: Morioka, Japan



If you go to Japan in Spring for the cherry blossom, in fall for the red leaves, and in the winter for the snow, then the excuse to go in the heat of summer would have to be the Matsuri (summer festival.) And when it comes to Matsuri, the best of them seems to be concentrated in the north-eastern area of Honshu. The reason, I guess is that this is a mainly-farming region, and the Matsuri is a way to bring in the tourist money.

In early August, the northeastern city of Morioka celebrates the San-sa matsuri. San-sa, I was told, means Three Rocks. The same three rocks that gave Iwa-te ("Rock-Hands", the prefecture Morioka is in) prefecture its name. The matsuri involves groups (and there was many of them), marching down the mail street,dancing and hitting the drums strapped on the front of their body.




Thursday 11 September 2008

July 2008: Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan







I was here for the first time 12 years ago, about 2 months after my final University exams, and after emptying my bank account. On the July of 2008, I am back again. It was something of a commeration of the trip made in 1996, with less hair and more cash. And minus my travel partner from 12 years ago, lost him to something call "marriage".






12 years ago, my first night in Tokyo was spent in a capsule hotel. It's the same this time round. I would have prefer a proper room, but it seems all the budget rooms in Asakusa are filled up. A listing on the Lonely Planet does that to budget rooms. So, anyway, with no reservation for the night, a capsule will do just fine. Anyway, Tokyo was just a bit of a staging ground for the actual trip from day 3 onwards.

So, for the two days, just mange to jalan-jalan a bit in Tokyo, and visit the Palace, or rather its perimeter area. If I have came with tents, a night at the Palace seems like a good alternative to the capsule since they have a "Shelter for People who cannot go BackHome".
























Monday 16 June 2008

May 2008: Alishan Alpine Railway, Taiwan










Here's some info about the A,B, Cs of travelling up Alishan by train. But first, let me show you the X,Y and Z of Alishan:

May 2008: Taiwan Sugar Railway, Kaohsiung


The Taiwan Sugar Company owns a number of sugar cane plantations in Taiwan. In the old days, to facilitate the movement of sugar cane and cargo within their plantation, the company actually has their very own railway networks. I don't think Taiwan Sugar still runs many plantation in Taiwan these days, and their railway are now running, if they are running at all, for weekend tourists to their plantation.

You can find one such railway in Kaohsiung. It is right next to the second last station on the first Kaohsiung metro line. In the next picture, you can see the engine of one of these Taiwan Sugar trains, right below the elevated tracks of the Kaohsiung metro. In the background, a Taiwan Railway train approahes from the left.

Monday 21 April 2008

April 2008: Kaohsiung to Taipei, Taiwan


Two acronyms have been added to the transport lingo in Taiwan recently: KRTC and HSR. That's Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation and High Speed Rail.

In Zuoying on the outskirt of Kaohsiung, the KRTC line and HSR line crosses the Taiwan Railway. As you step out of the KRTC ticketing gate, you will meet with sign to get to the HSR and Taiwan Railway Zuoying Stations.

From Zuoying in the south, it takes about 1hr40min on the white-orange HSR to reach Taipei in the north. There in the north, the Taiwan rail, and the HSR cross path with the Taipei underground under the hugh Taipei Station complex.
No more than a year in operation, the HSR is fast and clean. If not for the houses outside the window that looks nothing like those in Japan, you may be forgiven that you are on the Shinkasen. The sound-proofing needs some improving, though, if you use the Shinkasen as the standard. In case the sound-proofing don't bother you, here's another reminder that you are not in Asahi or Kirin bi-ru land:


















追加(春天吶喊):To 墾丁to catch 楊乃文

Kenting, now made famous by the Taiwanese movie Cape No. 7 heats up in April when the beaches in the area hold various concerts. The main reason for the crowd must be the lineup of the artistes that turns up alongside many of the independent rock/pop/whatever groups. The only name that matters to me in the Spring of 2008, however, was Faith Yang 楊乃文. Took a long distance bus from Kaohsiung to Kenting. And the main street in Kenting was jampacked with tourists, mostly young dudes and dudettes.
But the concert was further away from the madding crowds, in the Erluanbi Lighthouse Area. Once I reached there, handed in the concert fee to get a Spring Scream stamp on my wrist. The ticket seller there actually reminded me that the day's event is actually coming to an end, so I might like to come back the next day. In my mind I was thinking, hell, Faith Yang is up next, so it is still early, MY night has just began.
Faith Yang came on slightly later than advertised. I was a little bit worried about missing the last free shuttle bus back to town. But once she start doing her thang, I just couldn't care less about the bus. The first couple of song was a bit of a disappointment, but as she warms up, it was the clean strong vocal that I have expected. And it was obvious who were there specially for Faith. Those who listen attentively when her ballad came on, and then rocking hard when her signature rock anthem came on. I had a tall girl right behind me who rocked so hard her chin almost cracked my scull. Standing at 166cm, my head was just below her chin.
By the time the concert was over, it was the morning of 5th April. All the places in Kenting was booked, so I just spend the night on the beach. Listening to the crashing wave, pretend to be sleeping as I observe how the Taiwanese dudes romance their dudette under the stars. And I did found out Sex-on-the-Beach isn't just the name of a cocktail drink. The whole night, the partying crowd was shotting firework into the sky until the crack of dawn.
When the sun was up, I walk out onto the deserted street of Kenting, searching for a breakfast shop. A great trip, I will say.

Febuary 2008: Phnom Penh to Battambong, Cambodia


The Cambodia Railway.....or the Royal Railways of Cambodia, as it is officially known, probably runs the most beat-up trains in the world. Maybe not in the world, as I have not been anyway near Africa and South America; but definitely the most beatup in Asia, North America and Europe combined.

The time table for the service is also shrouded in mystery. Depending on when a blog/webpage was written, you will find told different things. If you ask Cambodians in Phnom Penh, they either tell you they don't even know the train is still running,; or, if they knew it is, think that you would be more sane just to travel by the many bus services running out of Phnom Penh. So, for the record: at least in Feb 2008, the Phnom Penh to Battambong line runs only on Saturday, at 6:20am. There. Be prepare to pay 23500 Riel if you a) don't look like a Cambodian and don't speak Khmer or b) don't look like a Cambodian.

And don't bother asking about the other service running out of Phnom Penh. The PP->Sihanoukville line don't round anymore. In fact, I think the only reason the 6:20 is still running on Saturday is the logging industry. Be prepare to share your passenger train with lumber in, and on the roof of, the cabin.
Bottom: Lunch on wheels. I skip these and came with bread and cans of food.


--KIV--

January 2008: Jakarta, Indonesia...again


Third trip to Jakarta. A short one. The system in JKT went down in the morning, the ticket was issued late in the afternoon, and by the evening.....back in Jakarta. This is a short trip. No time for a train ride. Jakarta has began to grow on me. To be honest, Jakarta has many buil,ding that I can only describe as 'handsome'. Here are a few:



--KIV--


Sunday 20 April 2008

December 2007, Bangalore to Mysore, India


Here's one of the heavyweight of the world's railway: the venerable India Railway. By one estimate, it is the largest railway company in Asia, and the biggest employer in the world.

When I first show the Bangalore engineers my hardseat ticket to Mysore, all warn me to give up the idean and go by other mode of transport. But once on the train, it was a relief that things aren't that bad.

Top: The hardseat doesn't look that bad. It was a comfortable ride from Bangalore to Mysore, though frill-free.
Bottom: Journey's end. At the Mysore station platform, a young man being investigated for ticket fraud.
Bangalore and Mysore, not only does the two city names rhyme, they have similar nickname: Bangalore the City of Gardens and Mysore the City of Palace. The main Mysore Palace is the first Raj Palace I was ever in. I must say I was impressed.





--KIV--
















December 2007: Bantar Sri Bangawa, Brunei


The last time I was in BSB, I was a 19-year old army boy, looking at the town from the back of a 3-tonner truck. I was back in December 2007. From the shotgun seat of a car, BSB looks as boring as before.

There are no train service in Brunei. Here's a picture of a mosque in BSB.




--KIV--





April 2007: Bandung, Indonesia


Second trip to Jakarta. I wouldn't say I am charmed this time round. Anyway, ran out of places to go on weekends. So....escape from Jakarta.....to Bandung. I wasn't expecting much, so didn't even bother to wake up early to catch the morning train. By the time the train to Bandung pulls out of Monument Station, it was past noontime.











Bandung itself doesn't much interest, although some guide books do mention some old buildings of interest. I could have take in some of them and be charmed if I had arrived early. I didn't, and so I wasn't. After finishing my bowl of noodle (a late late lunch), I checked with the boss what she would suggest for places of interest, given that I have
no more than 3 hours before the train back to Jakarta. She suggested a mall. Psst, looks like no escaping the malls even after running out of Jakarta.

While the town itself didn't offered me much, the trip up did. Bandung is on a highland, and the trip up at least offer a landscape that differs from the flatland of Jakarta.



Top: Bandung Station.

--KIV--











March 2007: Danang, Vietnam


No time for a train trip this time. Was in Danang for 3 days. It is supposed to have nice beach. No time to check it out.On a previous trip, I have travelled the lenght of the Vietnam Rialway, from Ho Chi Min City to Hanoi, on the so-called Unification Express. More on that in a future posting.




View from the hotel cafe, on the upper floor. Check out the tower shooting up from a sea of low-rise.


--KIV--