Fukuoka --> Kyoto --> Osaka

Golden Week's Trip: Day 1 ( Fukuoka --> Kyoto --> Osaka )

Yosh, seperti yang di janjikan dalam entry sebelum ni ; entry hari ini akan bercerita secara detail tentang road trip kami dari Fukuoka -->Kyoto --> Osaka on the 29th April. I was given the task to plan the trip and prepare a complete itinerary during the golden week's holiday. Selalunya hubby yang akan prepare the itinerary untuk trip jalan2 tapi kali ni hubby agak busy so I kena ambik alih tugas tersebut. Bunyi agak poyo ayat tersebut, macam lah berat sangat tugasan itu eheh.


The supposed to be started at 4 a.m trip was delayed until 7 a.m, biasalah bila dah ramai-ramai mestilah lambat sikit nak bersiap kan. Hubby memang sengaja nak bertolak awal sebab tahu jalan akan jammed memandangkan seluruh Jepun bercuti. seperti yang di jangka, highway memang penuh dengan kenderaan thus it took us about 9 hrs 30 mnts to reach Kyoto by car.

+- perjalanan sejauh ~700 km (by car) -+

At first, we planned to visit Toei Kyoto Studio Park/Movie Land (Toei Uzumasa Eigamura) but we ended up stopping at a shrine nearby. Rupa-rupanya GPS pada kereta odyssey tu tak updated mengikut route terbaru, so di bawanya kami kat tempat yang salah. Hampir- hampir I di persalahkan oleh hubby sebab hubby ingat I yang salah salin nombor phone tempat tu..phew, nasib baik bukan salah I.

+- hijau je Japanese Garden ni, cantik kan? -+


+- Koryu Jinja -+

Tapi bagus jugak sampai kat tempat yang salah sebab tiket masuk ke Eigamura tu agak mahal, sedangkan masa kami sampai kat area Uzumasu tu pun dah around 5 pm..dah nak tutup pun Eigamura tu. End up, kami posing je lah kat Koryu-ji (Koryu Temple).

+- pintu masuk ke Koryu-Ji -+


+- kat depan dewan pameran -+


+- 3 kanak-kanak riang seronok dapat lari-lari -+

Nasib baik ada lagi sipi-sipi bunga sakura kat area Koryu-ji tu, dapatlah Mok De's family and Deja posing kat situ. Masa kat situ sempat jugak call Kak Mas untuk mintak tips tempat jalan-jalan yang best di Kyoto dan Kak Mas suggest untuk ke Gion, Kyoto which is famous as Geisha's district. Tapi sekali lagi GPS sengal tu buat hal, tak tunjuk pun kat mana tempat tu yang sebenarnya.

+- muka buat-buat ceria walaupun tengah kepenatan dan kelaparan tahap gaban -+

+- pokok sakura yang dah keluar daun -+

Bila kami dah jumpa lorong laluan Geisha tu, semua orang pun macam dah keletihan nak jalan-jalan. Plus, kami tak solat zohor-asar lagi masa tu. So, tak jadi lah tengok Geisha. Cepat-cepat kami cari park terdekat untuk solat dan lepas tu teruskan perjalanan dari Kyoto ke Osaka pulak.


While looking for Hotel Chuo Selene, Osaka tu pun GPS sengal tu sekali lagi buat hal. Entah kat mana lah di bawa nya kami sampai berpusing-pusing jugaklah mencari hotel. Nasib baik jumpa jugak lepas dah penat berpusing-pusing around bandar Osaka tu. Rasa macam nak sepak-sepak je GPS tu, nasib baik lah ada iPhone untuk membantu di saat-saat genting huhuhu.

+- lobby Hotel Chuo Selene, Osaka -+

Psssssttt: Next entry untuk Golden Week's trip: Day 2 ialah jalan-jalan di Universal Studio Japan, Osaka pulak, tungggguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Badan di Jepun, Hati di Malaysia

It's been more than a week that I'm not updating this blog. As I've mentioned in the entry Tetamu yang di nanti, hubby's family as well as my best friend were here in Japan to visit us for one week. They arrived on the Apr 28 and Mok De's family went back to Malaysia on last Friday while Deja took her flight back to Malaysia on Saturday morning.

+- family Mokde tengah Check-in -+

Along with their arrival here in Japan, we were blessed with lots of foods from Malaysia too. Deja brought along my all time favourite kuih tat nenas, sambal ikan bilis with tempe specially cooked by her mother, kerepek pedas batu pahat, ayam goreng KFC, also a sandal and shoe that fitted perfectly in my Kaki gergasi, as well as English books for Nazhan.

+- makanan2 yang Deja bawak untuk kami sekeluarga -+

While Mok De's family brought along air Ribena, air sirap, sos pencicah, a dozen of budu, ikan bilis, ikan masin, mushroom soups, maggi Mee, all sorts of flours, kerepek pisang, kuih bangkit, beras jasmine super wangi, and lots of other foods .. you named it!. Pendek kata 2/3 daripada isi perut luggage diorang ialah untuk barang2 makanan kami je hik3x.


We had a blast week traveling around Japan by car. Thanks to "Cik Ody" (Honda Odyssey RB1) who has been such a darling to travel without creating any unexpected scene during the whole trip.

+- Cik Ody yang banyak berjasa -+

Special thanks to hubby for being a great driver and drove 8 of us to travel from Fukuoka --> Kyoto --> Osaka --> Hiroshima --> Fukuoka --> Kumamoto --> Beppu --> Oita --> Fukuoka within that Golden Week holidays (28th Apr - 5th May).

+- trip sepanjang cuti Golden Week 2011 -+

I'll update about the trip later because I haven't select the best pictures (gambar2 sampai 8GB huhuhuhu) to share with you guys; but stay tune for the latest update in my Travel & living Segment as I can ensure you that I'm going to share loads of info and photos soon. Bawak bertendang bertenang ye.


Throughout the whole week, Nazhan enjoy having his Pak Long Adam and Mama Mia (hubby's little cousins) as his play-mate as well as he enjoys being pampered with lots of loves and attention from his Wan De, Aki De and Cik Deja. Although it was only for a week, he bonded so well with them that even until this morning( 2 days after they went back to Malaysia), he keeps calling for Cik Deja, Pak Long Adam and Mama Mia's name while having his breakfast.

+- Nazhan with his Pak Long Adam and Mama Mia -+

+- Nazhan with his Wan De's family -+

+- Cik Deja sabar melayan kerenah Nazhan -+

As for hubby and I, we were also having the lonesome feeling when Mok De's family and Deja went back to Malaysia. It feels weird when our house became 'soundless' again compared to last week when they were around us.

+- badan di jepun, dalam hati siapa yang tahu...ececece -+

Somehow, it made us realize that no matter how much we loves living in Japan, our heart and soul were still and always be in Malaysia. No matter how imperfect Malaysia might be (compared to Japan); that is the place where our family and friends were and there is surely where our hearts belongs to!.

"I feel closer to my country than ever. There is no longer a feeling of lonesome isolation. Instead; peace. I return without fearing prejudice that once bothered me for I know that people practice cruel bigotry in their ignorance, not maliciously" Paul Robeson quotes (American Actor, Singer and Activist, 1898-1976)

Pssssttt: rasa macam nak balik Malaysia untuk internship/conference lagi lah, rindu membuak-buak pada family.

The Winner for GA: Novel Twenties Girl

First of all I would like to thanks those of you who have took part in the simple GA that I've organized. They were 12 contestants who took place in this simple GA. I simply make this GA a simple one in order to appreciate those who visit this blog regularly as well as to those who follow this blog.

I appreciate all 12 of you who has make some effort in joining my simple GA. The contestants are :-
1) NuRo0L
2) kakyong
3) Wanie Nasir
4) Cute MuM
5)Sidratul Muntaha
6) Min Aina Ila Aina
7)Coffee Mama
8)atoyis
9)AlohaMolly
10) Liz Rohaizat
11) e.l.i.s.s.m.i.e
12) Atiqah


I couldn't make up my mind on selecting the winner as I feel like all the answers given by you guys is so good. Thus, I seek for hubby's opinion and finally we agree to choose the ultimate winner for this GA: Novel Twenties Girl.

The winner is...............(drum rolls)

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Atoyis

"Saya patut menang novel Twenties Girl itu kerana ......................."

...saya teringin nk baca novel balik macam zaman bujang2 dulu sebab bila saya baca novel saya akan berangan jadi watak utama dan bila sampai part ending rasa tak mau keluar ke alam nyata..part2 berangan ni bagilah dekat saya..sedangkan baca komik doremon pon saya blh berangan jadi watak nobita apertah lagi kalau nk berangan jadi heroin dlm novel..no hal punyalah - ikhlas dari seorang kaki berangan :p (teringat pulak lagu angan2 raja ema)

Congratulations!. I'll send you an e-mail to ask for your address. The novel will be send to you on the 2nd week of May.

Psssttt: pada yang tak menang, jangan kecil hati ye. Nanti I buat GA lagi, korang join lagi ye :).