East Asia

Divya and Aushim’s month long adventures across various parts of East Asia Read more

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East Asia
East Bali’s Instagram route
March 20, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
East Bali has some top spots if you want that perfect photo for your Instagram. We went on a highly recommended photography tour we found on 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 fishes. 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. We then visited a coffee plantation and tasted the Kopi Luwak (world’s most expensive coffee). We also bought some. Finally we went for lunch over to the rice terraces, which also had the famous Instagram-favourite swings. Divya started on the swings but it started to heavily rain before she could complete them all. She had gotten some nice shots by then, so we called it a day and headed back to our hotel amidst pouring rain.Read more
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Chilling in Ubud
March 21, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
We took some time off the crazy travelling schedule to just chill and relax in Ubud. We had initially planned to do an early morning Jeep sunrise tour of Mt. Batur, but both of us felt we would be happier just relaxing in our resort in Ubud. And that’s what we did. We cancelled all our plans. 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 got a hot and cold stone massage done in the resort spa. This definitely helped us recharge for the upcoming final leg of our trip in South East Asia - Singapore.Read more
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Singaporean food memories
March 22, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
We’ve landed in Singapore, a special place for me because I lived and worked here for the first 2 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 historical food court where I used to have lunch almost every day. The chicken rice was yum, especially the rice and the sauces. We then 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 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 well satisfied to try that.Read more
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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 4 languages on the Purple Line. Our first stop was the Merlion - Singapore’s national symbol. We then took a long walk along the Marina Bay, admiring the skyline (which also includes my former office) and the iconic Marina Bay Sands building.Read more
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Gardens by the Bay
March 22, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
We visited the Gardens by the Bay - a gigantic and beautiful garden showcasing the 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. We then went to the stunning Cloud Forest and sat there for a bit admiring the huge rainforest tree with waterfalls flowing through it. Finally in the evening, we saw the light show in the Supertree Grove in the backdrop of western classical music. After all of this, we went back to our friend Ravi’s house, where a delicious homely meal of dal, chawal, paneer and rajma awaited us.Read more
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Art meets Science
March 23, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
For our final day in South East 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 up for rides in the heat was anyway not appealing. 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 the best reminding 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. We would highly recommend this. It’s a great way to spend a weekend afternoon.Read more
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Family in Japan
March 24, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
So we’re back in Japan and it’s a family reunion with a group of 7 - Divya and I, my parents, 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 in 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
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Gion
March 24, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
We headed out towards the Gion district, one of Kyoto’s most popular areas. Our first stop was the Kiyomizu-dera shrine. 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 tried some Japanese sweets. We also saw Matcha latte being expertly prepared by hand. Our next stop was the Maruyama Park and the 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 inside the park to see the 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 Nishant wanted some fresh juice. As they went to a street vendor requesting ‘Orange juice’ it was indeed amusing to see the vendor blend the juice inside 1 orange, dip a straw and hand them an orange juice.

We finally went for some dinner to a nice Udon/Ramen place to end the very long day.Read more
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Nara
March 25, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
We headed out early morning to Nara. The multiple Suica cards were still problematic, but Divya had a theory for 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 shrine was impressive with the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. 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
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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 will 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 Osaka’s biggest happening district - Dotonbori (by the river - Dotonbori). We randomly bumped into my cousin Shashank and his wife Sadhvi (who are travelling in Japan during 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 mid way 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
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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 up for the 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 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 practiced with wooden swords before using a real sword (Katana) to slash and cut some target sticks. We then 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
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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 general shopping avenues. Most of the market was covered with a shed on the top, which meant it was shielded from any drizzle or cold weather 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. We then headed towards our planned dinner place, where we would be joined by my cousin Shashank and his wife Sadhvi.Read more
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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 Kichikichi 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 9 people on short notice. We ordered heartily. 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 till now. After dinner, we took a bus (which was very crowded) back to the hotel and ended the day.Read more
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Fushimi Inari Taisha
March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
Divya and I woke up early morning at 5.30am and went to the Fushimi Inari shrine. Divya wanted to do it again because the experience the previous day was very inferior. I was also game because I couldn’t visit the previous day due to my poor health. 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
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Japanese tea ceremony
March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
After the whole group got ready, we shipped our large suitcases to our hotel to Tokyo, checked-out and stored the small ones at the hotel reception to pickup 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 then followed our host in following 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, the whole activity lasting two hours instead of the planned one. Everyone left the venue feeling enriched.Read more
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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 peak. We walked for 15 mins, 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. We eventually took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, reached our hotel and had some ready-to-eat meals (heated up expertly by Purva in paper cups) for dinner.Read more
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Senso-ji
March 28, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
We all decided to do 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 is usually lined with shops selling lots of different food items, but because we were super early, hardly any of those shops 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
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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 Shiori 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 blossomed trees in the park, we persisted and were finally graced with a long riverside row of cherry trees, most of which had fully blossomed. 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 has also blossomed). Unfortunately, the reality in Ueno Park was much less positive. Yes, there was a tree which had blossomed, but it was nothing compared to the sights we had seen in Shiori Park. Divya decided to get some light bites in the food stalls in the park and was accidentally hit by a shellfish allergy attack. After mitigating any harm, she and the rest of us decided to go back to the hotel and get some sleep before heading out again in the evening.Read more
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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 for our evening experience which we had booked in advance - Teamlab Planets, 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, when it was mildly raining the entire while. 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 lesser interactivity. Everyone enjoyed it a lot and we then headed back to our hotel.Read more
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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 ended up having Miso ramen, pork gyozas, 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 in Japan till now. 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 gets. We were all extremely satisfied and went back to meet the rest of the group and go towards Harajuku.Read more
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Takeshita street
March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
After reaching Harajuku (which was a pain because it took us twenty minutes to finally get on the right train), we split up again. Purva and the elders went to a Vegan place where they ended up having their best meal of 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 in the form of pandas, strawberries and grapes coated with a 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 doesn’t work yet, probably because it needs cells). 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 then headed towards the Shibuya district.Read more
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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 hairstyle and fashion sense (we think these might have been the “Harajuku girls” we knew of via Youtube videos about Tokyo but we could be wrong) and some unique shops. We dropped our parents to 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. Everybody else eventually joined us at the station and everyone was tired enough that we decided to get back to the hotel.Read more
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Sushi and Sake
March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
We reached back to our hotel and were super tired from all the walking from the day in Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya. We ordered some Indian food for the parents. Purva suggested the rest of us can go to a nearby local place for sushi dinner. She was willing to switch from being a vegan to having fish for an evening to be able to properly experience Japan’s famous sushi. We brushed off out 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 and were constrained only by our already full stomachs. After thanking the chefs and the host, we left for our hotel, ready to crash and sleep immediately.Read more
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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 Fish Market, Tokyo’s largest fish market and a popular avenue for street food. It was fairly crowded and we were anyway too full for food, but we grabbed a few fresh citrus juices to sip in a weather that had suddenly become summery.Read more
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Pokemon fun
March 30, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Next up, we took a train and went to relive some childhood memories at the Pokemon Centre in Tokyo. It was in the Ginza district 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 Pokemon centre itself was a joyful experience. It had a souvenir shop and a Pokemon themed cafe. Nishu, Purva, Divya and I went around the shop (while parents waited on the side) and browsed the different stuffed Pokemon and other artefacts. Divya got herself a Jigglypuff and a Pikachu. Nishu and Purva also snatched a few. After clicking a few pictures, we then went onwards for lunch.Read more
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