Tokyo in pictures

We got back from a week in Tokyo on Friday and then had the pleasure of our old neighbours (and BFs) passing through on their way to Thailand for the weekend, so I am a little delayed in uploading a few pictorial highlights of our trip to Japan. We really were lost in translation, but I did have an opportunity to sit in our hotel room in my pants looking at this view.


We were both captivated with Tokyo and the Japanese vibe - it is a subtle, intriguing place that works a slow kind of magic on you. I did a lot of sightseeing on my own, but Tim managed to join me for a touch of sumo wrestling and the tuna auction at the fish market at 5:30am on the morning we left, followed by a fresh sushi breakfast. Very hardcore.


The wrestlers are allowed four minutes to eye each other up and glare at each other. They are supposed to start when they feel 'psychologically ready'. But this creates tremendous suspense and anticipation for the audience. After all that glaring, the matches themselves are over very quickly.


I think it was inevitable, but the little guy didn't win this match. As Tim says, it is all about mass x velocity, or something.














Another action shot - the wrestlers are trying to get a hold of their opponent's silk belt but the protruding stick things that you can see are not allowed to touch the floor. There are four judges that sit around the dohyo (ring) to make sure they stick to the rules.

The fish market

Tourists are only allowed to go to certain parts of the fish market which is probably just as well. We were asked to don a green vest so we could be identified and after a lot of waiting around in a hot room, were eventually herded into a 'pen' from where we could watch the auction action. Flash photography was prohibited, as was any kind of hand movement. Presumably, hapless tourists of the past have mistakenly bought themselves thousands of pounds worth of tuna by inadvertently scratching their heads.

This sunrise was worth the 4:30am wake-up call.

Potential buyers checking out what's for sale - tuna are huge.

The reclining Buddha

We rounded our day off with a trip to the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. 46m long and 15m high. Awesome.

Beady eye

Change 20baht into coins and put one in each of the pots for good luck

Almost too much bling

It was touch-and-go on Day 3. Tim woke up with a splitting headache and didn't think he would be able to make it to the Grand Palace and temples up the river. Luckily, after an emergency trip to Boots the chemist down the road, we were able to hit the road and then the river. The guidebook said that you needed to start early and we soon realised this was sage advice. Doing touristy things in the midday sun is not fun.

By the time we reached the pier Tim was feeling perkier and our day just kept getting better. We took the shuttle boat up stream to Tha Chang, the stop for the Grand Palace, and as instructed by the guidebook, followed the crowds until we reached the entrance. I had read about the dress code for the Grand Palace so had opted to wear trousers and a t-shirt that covered my shoulders - it is a sacred place so you have to cover up. Needless to say, I was absolutely boiling. Tim had to queue up to borrow a pair of attractive mushroom grey trousers to cover his legs so he was absolutely boiling as well. There was a lady at the entrance with a microphone pointing out when people weren't dressed appropriately. While I was waiting for Tim, I stood listening to her and it was really quite hilarious - both what she said, the way she said it and people's reaction to it. Some people just carried on regardless, thinking they could get past her and some people stood in front of her looking totally perplexed. Obviously they hadn't done their research.

Despite the discomfort of sweating profusely throughout the tour, the Grand Palace was breathtaking. Almost too much to take in in one trip. The highlight of the complex is the temple that houses the Emerald Buddha (no pictures allowed). We went inside the temple and were surprised by how small the Buddha is - he sits atop the most ornate, gold encrusted platform that rises to the ceiling but he is only about 50cm high. In fact, everything was gold encrusted and ornate. The Buddha's room was beautiful, with scenes from his life decorating the walls. It is a sacred place for Thai people, and there were lots of locals mixed in with the tourists paying their respects. A very special place.

The pictures don't really do it justice, but here are a few highlights anyway.

The cloisters

Giants guarding one of the gates into the complex.

Monkeys supporting a gold edifice

A cool shady spot with a much-needed breeze

That is all gold...

Trying to not look incredibly sweaty and not really succeeding

Bangkok Day 2

The traffic in Bangkok is absolutely horrendous. It took us an hour to reach our dinner destination on Thursday night - on the way back, it took 10 minutes. I avoided taking taxis except where absolutely necessary (i.e. when the heavens opened, as it is rainy season at the moment). I preferred the Skytrain, which travels through the city on stilts (just like the Monorail in the Simpsons!). The views are great from up there and it only costs 40p for a one-way trip. The Skytrain was almost as clean as the MRT in Singapore and it was refreshingly air-conditioned. All in all, I was impressed.


I checked out Lumpini Park on the morning of my second day. It was bit sparse, and not a patch on the Singapore Botanic Gardens, but the lake with the skyscrapers rising up behind did remind me a bit of Central Park. There were groups of old-timers settling in for the day with picnics and tablecloths laid out on the concrete park benches and tables. I am sure it is an extremely pleasant place to catch up with old friends and it is a much-needed green space in an otherwise busy and grimy city.

A statue of King Rama, the Skytrain and the entrance to Lumpini Park

We had dinner that night in a restaurant overlooking the main river. A little boat, which looked like a floating house, took us across. I am easily pleased, but I thought it was wonderful and I loved seeing the city from a different vantage point. There are lots of this little boats darting from one side to the other so it looked quite magical as we tried to eat all of our Thai specialties set menu. Funny how there is always room for desert though, especially when it involves coconut sticky rice and mango. Yum!

The view from the bow

Bangkok Day 1

We had heard very mixed reviews about Bangkok so I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about the trip. But any anxiety I had about exploring the city soon disappeared. Even though Tim and I experienced different Bangkoks - I was on the tourist trail and Tim was darting about the city attending meetings and giving presentations - we both agreed that it was a great city, and a refreshing change from safe, clean Singapore. The people that we met were unfailingly friendly, always greeting you with a 'wai' and a smile. We were made to feel very welcome.

I visited the Jim Thompson house on my first day. Jim Thompson was an American who came to Thailand towards the end of WW2 and liked it so much he stayed. He is credited with reviving the Thai silk industry. He also accumulated a number of beautiful Thai artifacts and created a home on the banks of a tributary in Bangkok. His home consists of six different old Thai buildings that he discovered on his travels around the country. He moved them to Bangkok and made them into one big house. It was a beautiful place to spend my first afternoon in the city as it was tucked away from the hustle and bustle, a real oasis of calm.

We weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside of the house (I'm not sure why) but the outside was impressive enough.

The main entrance when arriving by car - if you were arriving by river you would come in the door on the other side

A glimpse inside - a very old Buddha with an Italian marble floor

There were fish everywhere, but I liked this little guy in a big plant pot all on his own.

The Jim Thompson brand is now famous in this part of the word for a chain of decent Thai restaurants and shops selling all sorts of things in Thai silk. But no one knows what happened to the man - he was on holiday in Malaysia in the 60s and disappeared one day in the Cameron Highlands. He hasn't been seen since. Our guide thought that he had been eaten by a tiger or kidnapped. Either way, when he was finally declared dead his house was turned into a museum, with the proceeds going to local Thai projects.

The whole thing was incredibly well done with a restaurant and very nice gift shop. Of course I had to sample the local fare so I ordered a spicy prawn and Thai basil concoction with lychee shake for lunch. Delicious, and it only cost me £3.

Yes that is a fried egg you can see...who would have thought it would work so well?

Sushi on a Sunday evening

Supper at our favourite sushi restaurant.

Getting to grips with the food situation

Food is very expensive in Singapore. Actually, I should qualify that: Western-style food is very expensive in Singapore. Since we arrived, we have been trying to find the most cost-efficient way of buying the food that we want to eat. When Tim's family were staying I put in large food orders with an online mostly frozen/canned food retailer. That worked quite well feeding 7 mouths, but we are now left with large quantities of garlic bread, chicken and pizza bases to get through.

After two months and a few mishaps along the way, I think we have settled on a reasonably good solution: I head down to Carrefour once a week and we buy bread and milk in a variety of different local stores in between trips. Carrefour is a joy because they sell a lot of delicious French food at reasonable prices. A large camembert will set you back $7 (approx £3.50) - the supermarket up the road sells a small slice of my favourite Cambozola cheese for $30 (that's about £15 - yes, it's true). Never, ever would I pay that much. In fact, we are trying to eat more of the local fare which is reasonably priced and tasty. There is a whole section of green vegetables that I have never seen before in Carrefour. Each week I buy one and we experiment in a stir-fry/curry.

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago we decided to venture down to a much-talked about furniture warehouse near the docks. This place has a reputation among expats as being difficult to find but a veritable Aladdin's cave when you get there. We were chuffed that we found it so easily and spent about three hours looking around and then trying to decide what to buy. The bonus is that this place also sells food and wine, cheaply. You pick what you want from a catalogue and they deliver it along with your furniture. Quite random, but somehow it works. I was excited to see so many delicious canned goods available and I merrily ordered a crate (6 cans) of green olives, a crate of black olives, chopped tomatoes, chickpeas etc. The staples. But I was extremely shocked, and actually very amused, when it all arrived. I'll let this picture do the talking. Let's just say, we won't be hiring a full-time maid anytime soon - there is no space in the maid's room!

'Normal' sized can on top, for the purposes of comparison

From now on, instead of taking a bottle of wine when we are invited out to dinner, I will be taking a can of chickpeas. Or a decanted jar of olives. I think a 2500g can of peeled tomatoes might be a step too far.