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East Asia (2024)
  • Aushim Krishan
  • Divya Deepankar
  • Aushim Krishan
  • Divya Deepankar

East Asia (2024)

A month through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Bali, Singapore and Japan. First, two weeks just Divya and me, then a week in Japan with Dad, Mom, Nishu, Purva and Purva’s mom, before Divya and I finished around Fuji and Tokyo. Read more
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  • East Asia (2024)

    East Bali’s Instagram route

    March 20, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    East Bali turned out to be built for Instagram photos, and we had booked a highly recommended photography tour through Airbnb. This was going to be Divya’s spotlight day. We started really early (at 4am) and even then couldn’t beat the crowds at our first spot, Lempuyang Temple with the famous Gate of Heaven. Interestingly, the officials had a numbered queue system for clicking pictures at the main spot. We got in the queue and waited for an hour before our number was called. It was fascinating to see an entire experience carved around getting perfect Instagram shots. Next, we went to the Tirta Gangga temple, a picturesque garden with many water ponds and fish. This was followed by the highlight of the day, the Goa Raja waterfall. We were supposed to go to the Tukad Cepung waterfall but replaced it at the last moment because of accessibility and a recent landslide there, and we were very happy with our decision. The waterfall was beautiful and Divya was able to click many stunning shots over there. Afterwards, we visited a coffee plantation and tasted the famously expensive kopi luwak. We also bought some. Finally we went for lunch over to the rice terraces, which also had the famous Instagram-favourite swings. Divya had started on the swings when heavy rain stopped her from finishing them all. She had already got some nice shots, so we called it a day and returned to our hotel through the pouring rain.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Chilling in Ubud

    March 21, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We cancelled all our plans in Ubud, including an early morning jeep sunrise tour of Mount Batur. Both of us wanted a break from the crazy travelling schedule and were happier relaxing in our resort. Our room looked over a pool and was surrounded by a hilly landscape of lush greenery. The views were amazing, especially when it was raining, which it did a couple of times. We played board games, swam in the pool, visited the local Ubud centre for some food and shopping, and Divya had a hot-and-cold-stone massage in the resort spa. It was the pause we needed before Singapore, our final stop in Southeast Asia.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Singaporean food memories

    March 22, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We landed in Singapore, a special place for me because I lived and worked here for the first two years of my career. Divya was also looking forward to it because I had introduced her to Hainanese chicken rice in London and she loved it. This was our chance to experience the authentic version of the dish and that’s what we did. We went first to Lau Pa Sat, a historic food court where I used to have lunch almost every day. The chicken rice was yum, especially the rice and the sauces. Next, we went to Maxwell Food Centre to try the version at Tian Tian, which is considered the “original” version. We liked this less mostly because some of the sauces and the broth were already mixed in. The chicken here was much more tender though. We also ended up trying kaya butter toast at Ya Kun Kaya, one of the things I used to have frequently. Another thing on the list was Salmon Pepper Rice at Pepper Lunch Express, but we were already too full and satisfied to try that.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Marina Bay

    March 22, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    After the foodie stuff and a quick foot massage, we headed to Singapore’s most popular spot, Marina Bay. It was fun to travel via MRT again and listen to the announcements in four languages on the Purple Line. Our first stop was the Merlion, Singapore’s national symbol. From there, we took a long walk along Marina Bay, admiring the skyline (which also includes my former office) and the iconic Marina Bay Sands building.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Gardens by the Bay

    March 22, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We visited Gardens by the Bay, a gigantic and beautiful garden showcasing flora from around the world. After walking around the garden for a bit, we went to the Flower Dome to see vast arrays of different flowers including a special installation of sakura. Next was the stunning Cloud Forest, where we sat for a bit admiring the huge indoor mountain with waterfalls flowing down it. Finally in the evening, we saw the light show in the Supertree Grove to a backdrop of Western classical music. Back at Ravi’s house, a delicious homely meal of dal, chawal, paneer and rajma awaited us.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Art meets science

    March 23, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    For our final day in Southeast Asia, our friend Ravi suggested we should ditch our original plan of going to Universal Studios and go instead to the ArtScience Museum. We liked the idea and queuing for rides in the heat didn’t appeal anyway. So after a nice breakfast of dosas and idlis, we went to the museum to see two ongoing exhibitions, Future World and Mars (The Red Mirror). Both of them were incredibly good. The Future World exhibition was by teamLab and involved interactive screens merging the digital and real worlds. One of the installations involved us drawing animals on paper using crayons, which we then scanned and they appeared as actual digital animals swimming in an ocean displayed on the wall. The crystal installation was our favourite and reminded us of the tesseract from Interstellar. The Mars exhibition showcased the history and mythology of how Mars has been viewed by humans through the ages. It ended up being one of our favourite afternoons in Singapore.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Family in Japan

    March 24, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    An overnight flight from Singapore brought us back to Japan. And it was a family reunion with a group of seven, including Divya and me, Dad, Mom, my younger brother Nishu and his wife Purva, and Purva’s mom. All of us landed around the same time (except Nishu and Purva who landed the previous evening) but at different airports in Tokyo. Our first task was to meet at Tokyo Station to catch the Shinkansen (Japan’s bullet train). After some issues with having multiple Suica cards on our iPhones and navigating the immensely complicated Tokyo Station, we somehow managed to catch the train. We reached Kyoto in the afternoon amidst slight rain and cloudy weather, not what we were hoping for. Nevertheless, after checking in to our hotel and having some delicious home-cooked food from India (parathas, aloo, karela, kathal), we were energised to head out and start exploring Japan.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Gion

    March 24, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Our visit to Gion, one of Kyoto’s most popular districts, began at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. After spending some time there, we walked along the bustling streets of Gion, lined with places to eat and shop. We tried some matcha tea and Japanese sweets. We also saw matcha latte being expertly prepared by hand. Our next stop was Maruyama Park and Yasaka Shrine. Both moms were a bit tired at this point, so I stayed with them and we rested while the rest of the group went to see Yasaka Shrine, which they said was impressive, especially the lights. The sakura was non-existent, mostly because of the weather. The rain had dropped the temperature and the flowers had not bloomed yet. Divya and Nishu wanted some fresh juice. When they went to a street vendor asking for orange juice, it was amusing to see the vendor blend the juice inside one orange, put in a straw and hand them their orange juice. After our very long day, we went for dinner at a nice udon and ramen place.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Nara

    March 25, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We headed out early morning to Nara. The multiple Suica cards were still problematic, but Divya thought she knew what was going wrong. The phones were picking the same card again and again. After reaching Nara, we took a bus straight to the Todai-ji Temple, and were surrounded by lots of wild deer, famous for bowing when they accept food from tourists. We tried this ourselves (especially Divya and Purva) and found the deer to be extremely greedy. While they were indeed bowing a little, they were more eager to just get the food through any means. The Todai-ji Temple was impressive, with its enormous bronze Great Buddha statue. The weather was not great. It was drizzling mildly the whole time. We encountered our first sight of sakura in the Nara Park, but only a handful of trees had bloomed, the vast majority had not. We had some lunch in a small local place, where we tried their ramen and Warabimochi, and then headed to the Nara station to catch a train to Osaka.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Osaka

    March 25, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On our way to Osaka, we tested Divya’s theory on the Suica cards. We decided to turn off the express travel mode on the iPhone wallet settings. Purva and I had a strong hunch that this time it would work, and it did. We had unlocked a major achievement. After reaching Osaka, our first stop was the Osaka Castle, another destination which was nice, but would be extremely stunning if the sakura trees had already bloomed, which they had not. We then headed to Dotonbori, Osaka’s liveliest riverside district. We randomly bumped into my cousin Shashank and his wife Sadhvi (who were travelling in Japan at the same time) in front of the famous Glico billboard. We then walked around the bustling market lit with neon lights all over and tried some street food, takoyaki, before sitting down in a restaurant in Dotonbori for some delicious okonomiyaki, Osaka’s speciality. After a hearty dinner, we headed back to Kyoto. We first got onto the wrong train (Thunderbird, which requires a special ticket) before changing trains midway and accidentally separating the group because the doors closed before everyone could get on. Everyone still eventually managed to get back to the hotel easily and within minutes of each other.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Swinging samurai swords

    March 26, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Unfortunately, I had caught a cold and was feverish the previous night and so decided to rest that morning after taking some medication. The rest of the group went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, but even their experience wasn’t the best because of heavy rains. In the afternoon, I was rested and ready to head out. We went for a samurai and ninja experience, situated in the Nishiki Market. We had probably mistakenly booked the experience in Tokyo, but we went to the Kyoto site and the person at the door let us in after glancing at our tickets. We thanked our luck and went inside. The experience was fun. We all got to wear the traditional samurai robes. The instructor was very enthusiastic and showed us how to hold and swing the sword. We practised with wooden swords before using a real sword (katana) to slash and cut some target sticks. We also got to wear samurai armour and helmet and click some pictures. Overall, a cute and enjoyable experience, especially the part with the real katana.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Nishiki Market

    March 26, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    After the samurai experience, we went strolling around the Nishiki Market, full of street food and shops. Most of the market was covered by a roof, which meant it was sheltered from the drizzle and cold and it made it more comfortable to enjoy the market. Divya, Nishu and I tried some wagyu beef sushi and warm sake, which were both amazing. We later tried some sweet fried tofu, which made for a yummy early evening vegan treat for all. From the market, we went to our planned dinner place, where my cousin Shashank and his wife Sadhvi were due to join us.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Indian feast in Kyoto

    March 26, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    The plan was to go to a vegan ramen place, which Purva had found after a lot of research. This was after her first choice, a restaurant called Kichi Kichi Omurice, had said it would be closed on our dates. But then, when we reached the vegan ramen place, we found out that it was reservation-only for the evening, which was weird because we had tried to reserve it earlier and they had said they don’t take reservations in advance. Purva was bummed. After trying and calling a few other Japanese restaurants in vain, we decided to go to an Indian place called Chander Marutamachi, which was happy to give us a table for nine on short notice. We ordered generously. The food was pretty good and most of the group was just relieved to taste some good Indian food after many days. Shashank and Sadhvi joined us and we shared our travel stories of Japan and what we had and had not liked so far. We took a very crowded bus back to the hotel after dinner.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Fushimi Inari Taisha

    March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Divya and I woke up early at 5:30am and went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Divya wanted to do it again because the previous day’s experience had been poor. I was also game because I couldn’t visit the previous day because I had been unwell. The rest of the group took it easy and woke up later. The Fushimi Inari Shrine was beautiful. This was finally our first dry, sunny morning in Japan since arrival. We managed to beat the crowds and were able to walk around, click lots of pictures and just enjoy the vibe. We also met Shashank and Sadhvi on our way out. They had also decided to come early and beat the crowds. By the time we were back, the rest of the group was almost ready for our next activity, Japan’s famous tea ceremony.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Japanese tea ceremony

    March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    After the whole group got ready, we sent our large suitcases ahead to our hotel in Tokyo, checked out and stored the small ones at the hotel reception to pick up later in the day. We headed to the Kyoto Station, stopped for some breakfast and then went to the platform to catch our train to Obaku where the tea ceremony was supposed to happen. Now, even though we reached the platform on time, it was practically impossible to get on the train because of how packed it was. We had to just wait for the next train and be late for the ceremony. Thankfully, on reaching the venue (which was a temple), our host was very gracious and invited us in. The ceremony itself was pretty good, peaceful and a fascinating cultural experience. We were told about the history of the tea ceremony and its significance for the Japanese people particularly the elites in the past, and how it has changed over the centuries. We followed our host through the precise rituals and hand movements to first have Japanese mochi sweets and then prepare and drink matcha tea. It was interesting to see the sheer number of rules and steps involved in making and drinking a simple cup of tea. Our host also took time to guide us through each stage, so the whole activity lasted two hours instead of the planned one. Everyone left the venue feeling enriched. And Nishu couldn’t stop imitating our host and saying “Elegant”.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

    March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    After the tea ceremony, we headed back to Kyoto and onwards to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Our first task was to find lunch in the area, which was a challenge once again because of the peak season. Most places we went to were either fully booked or had a waiting period of at least an hour. When we finally managed to get inside a restaurant, we realised that the supposedly vegetarian dish was not actually vegetarian, which meant that some of the group couldn’t eat much. We proceeded towards the actual forest, which initially felt a bit underwhelming but as we went deeper, the views of the tall bamboo trees all around were pretty good. As it was mid-afternoon, the crowds were at their peak. We walked for 15 minutes, clicked a few photos, and then decided to head back to Kyoto Station and then onwards to Tokyo. Nishu and Purva took a mini detour to find vegan ramen but were again hit by long waiting times. The Shinkansen took us back to Tokyo. At the hotel, Purva expertly heated our ready-to-eat dinners in paper cups.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Senso-ji

    March 28, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We all decided to make an early start and go straight to Tokyo’s famous Senso-ji temple. One of its identifiable features is the big entrance gate with a giant paper lantern. We clicked lots of pictures there. The path to the temple was lined with shops selling food, but because we were so early hardly any were open. After spending some time in the temple area (which had a large courtyard and a pagoda), we headed to get some pancakes and sandwiches for breakfast.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Sakura hunting

    March 28, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    The rains and subsequent temperature drop had delayed sakura in Tokyo and Kyoto and our hopes of getting glimpses of Japan’s famed cherry blossom were low (at least in this week). But Purva had found via TikTok that Shioiri Park had sakura trees blossoming already. So we decided to test our high hopes and go sakura hunting. After initially feeling disappointed when we couldn’t find any trees in bloom in the park, we persisted and were finally graced with a long riverside row of cherry trees, most of which were in full bloom. It was a stunning sight, and everyone in the group was delighted, especially the people who were leaving Japan by the end of the week. After countless pictures, we headed onwards to Ueno Park (because our cab driver had told us that the big tree there had also blossomed). Unfortunately, the reality in Ueno Park was much less impressive. Yes, there was a tree which had blossomed, but it was nothing compared to the sights we had seen in Shioiri Park. Divya decided to get some light bites in the food stalls in the park and was accidentally hit by an allergic reaction. Once the reaction was under control, we went back to the hotel for some sleep before our evening outing.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    teamLab Planets

    March 28, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After getting some rest and then grabbing some delicious food in the Yodobashi mall in Akihabara, we headed to teamLab Planets, which we had booked in advance for the evening. It was an art museum with artworks that blend the viewer with the surrounding art. Divya and I had seen teamLab’s exhibit in Singapore in the ArtScience Museum, so we were excited. Getting there, however, was a hassle. We couldn’t figure out the directions to the correct train line and then spent half an hour trying to book a cab, before finally catching one, while it drizzled the whole time. The experience itself was amazing and all the artworks were surprisingly good. Overall, it was much grander than the one we had seen in Singapore, especially the crystal artwork and the ones involving water, but it had less interactivity. We all enjoyed it and returned to our hotel afterwards.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Izakaya in Shinjuku

    March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    It was raining heavily the entire morning, so we took it easy and chilled in the hotel. Nishu had ordered breakfast for everyone. We played some cards in our parents’ room (I unsuccessfully tried to get everyone to learn and play “The Crew” before falling back to simple playing cards) and then we finally headed out when the weather improved. We went to Shinjuku, the most happening part of Tokyo. After reaching, we split up with Divya, Nishu and I going to Omoide Yokocho, the famous street with multiple izakayas and the rest going for shopping. The three of us ended up in a super local izakaya and had miso ramen, pork gyoza, hot and cold sake, and funnily some simple cold chicken (because we couldn’t understand what we were ordering). The food was amazing and was easily the best food we had had in Japan so far. The vibe of the place was extremely no-nonsense. The cooks silently took our order, cooked it in front of us and put the cooked food on the counter without saying a single word. Also, clicking pictures was explicitly prohibited in the place. The whole experience was as local as it got. We were all extremely satisfied and went back to meet the rest of the group and go towards Harajuku.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Takeshita Street

    March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    It took us twenty minutes to get on the right train to Harajuku. Once we arrived, we split up again. Purva and the elders went to a vegan place where they ended up having their best meal in Japan. They were super stoked. Divya, Nishu and I took a walk and inadvertently ended up on the super crowded Takeshita Street, which was full of places selling toys and sugary food. We had some cakes shaped like pandas, and strawberries and grapes coated in crystallised sugar, and finally some tea to neutralise all the sugar. We also went inside a capsule toy shop where I ended up getting a Mario watch (which didn’t work yet, probably because it needed batteries). When the rest of the group finished their meal, we brought them to the entrance of the street so that they could witness the madness of the street too. We clicked some pictures at the entrance which had a camera and a small rectangular screen reflecting the people standing in front of the entrance. We set off towards Shibuya from there.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Shibuya Crossing

    March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    While walking towards Shibuya, we split up yet again. Purva and her mom went inside a clothes store, while the rest of us continued to walk along the high street towards the scramble crossing. The route was super interesting. We noticed buildings with weird architecture, groups of mini-karts on the roads, women with eccentric hairstyles and fashion (we wondered if these were the “Harajuku girls” we had seen in videos, though we could have been wrong) and some unique shops. We dropped Dad and Mom at a shopping centre called Loft and headed onwards to the famous Shibuya Crossing, where every other minute, thousands of people cross the road in all directions simultaneously. We crossed it ourselves twice before heading to the Shibuya station and resting in a cafe. Everyone eventually rejoined us at the station. We were all tired, so we returned to the hotel.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Sushi and sake

    March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    All the walking around Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya had left us super tired. At the hotel, we ordered some Indian food for Dad and Mom. Purva suggested the rest of us could go to a nearby local place for sushi dinner. She was willing to make an exception to her vegan diet and eat fish for the evening so she could properly experience Japanese sushi. We brushed off our tiredness and the four of us went out. The place was amazing and very authentic. The chefs and the host were enthusiastic about feeding people. We got three platters of sushi among the four of us, along with some miso soup and hot sake. The food was delicious and the vibe was great. We finished almost everything, stopping only because our stomachs were already full. After thanking the chefs and the host, we returned to the hotel, ready to sleep straight away.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Breakfast, souvenirs and all the fish

    March 30, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Given that the cherry blossoms had unfortunately still not opened, we ditched our sakura plans, woke up at a comfortable hour and went out for breakfast in Ginza at a place found by Purva. After lots of sandwiches, pancakes and toasts, we went walking in Ginza and ended up in a nice souvenir shop with interesting crockery and chopsticks. Everyone bought something to take back and we moved on towards the Tsukiji Outer Market, a famous seafood and street-food market. It was fairly crowded and we were anyway too full for food, but we grabbed a few fresh citrus juices to sip in weather that had suddenly become summery.Read more

  • East Asia (2024)

    Pokémon fun

    March 30, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Next up, we took a train and went to relive some childhood memories at the Pokémon Center in Tokyo. It was near Ginza and as we reached closer to the centre, we realised we were walking in Tokyo’s financial district with all the big investment bank buildings around us. The Pokémon Center itself was a joyful experience. It had a souvenir shop and a Pokémon-themed cafe. Nishu, Purva, Divya and I went around the shop (while parents waited on the side) and browsed the different Pokémon plush toys and other artefacts. Divya got herself a Jigglypuff and a Pikachu. Nishu and Purva also snatched a few. A few photos later, we were off to lunch.Read more