Category Archives: Travel

Barbados Isn’t Just About Rihanna

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If you had mentioned Barbados as a holiday destination just a few years ago, the Sandy Lane seven star hotel with its celebrity visitors and guests would have been the main topic of conversation, especially as the lowest cost room is still over $1,000 a night. If you mention Barbados today the first question will be about Rihanna and her meteoric rise to claim the world’s number one position as a music and celebrity icon.

If you visit the island, you will need to accept a slow pace of life. The waiters in the restaurant will get to you in their own good time. There’s no rush for anything, especially if you are on vacation. The almost non existence of crime and illegal drugs helps maintain a healthy attitude and outlook on the island.

Everyone Will Say ‘Hello’

One of the best parts about arriving in Barbados for a vacation is the friendliness of the people. Everywhere you go people will talk to you (whether you want to engage in conversation is up to you.) The nation is one of the world’s most polite nations and no-one would consider passing a stranger without a quality verbal welcome.

At just 166 square miles (431km2) Barbados punches well above its weight. Listed as the 200th largest of 236 countries in the world, it attracts over half a million tourists who stay on the island and just over 600,000 cruise line passengers each year.

As a tourist, there are just about all the options you could ask for. If you require an all-inclusive hotel you’ll have a good choice. If you prefer a middle of the range hotel so you can choose where to eat, the options are almost endless. If you want to rent a small room on a budget or the largest villa for your celebrity friends, the selections are plentiful.

Eating on the island is a delight in terms of choice and flavor. Almost all of the world’s biggest favorites are on offer, but not from one of the franchises you might see around the world. There are a couple of US franchises, but mostly the locals can make a sandwich or a Chinese meal better than the franchised units, even if you’re not totally taken by the national dish of flying fish and cou cou.

What to See

There is a lot to see on the island. If your wish is for a tasteful museum then the Houses of Parliament and the Barbados Museum will meet with your approval. If you have a need to see how sugar was originally cut and processed, the Sugar Museum will be a favorite stop. You can even take the opportunity to tour Concorde which used to fly here regularly from London, England.

You can visit underground caves, flower forests and experience a pirate ship adventure. The submarine tour is a firm favorite among visitors, who come from all over the world, with the US, Canada, the UK and much of the Caribbean providing the highest numbers of visitors.

If you want to try surfing, then the East coast waves are exactly what you’ll need, but if you desire calm water, the West coast will be your target. The South coast mixes the two with water safe enough to swim in, but not so calm that it’s like a pool.

The South coast is also home to the country’s best variety of places to eat, the country’s only real shopping mall and a drive in theatre.

You can sit and watch a soccer or cricket match with the locals or hire some golf clubs and play on some of the best golf courses in the world.

Rihanna Might Not Be At Home

The islanders will keep it a secret when Robyn Fenty (Rihanna) is home and you’ll see the pictures of where she went just as she leaves the island for another world tour. Nevertheless you can bump into her on the beach, at the local theatres or in the local fast food diner, Chefette (fourteen diners to choose from). On the island, while the people are extremely proud of her, she can go anywhere and do anything and not be disturbed as she rests from her other job as official Honorary Ambassador of youth and culture for Barbados.

You won’t be looking at Norwegian ski deals if you are considering Barbados because the weather is usually very good. Just be aware that the rain falls hard in this sub-tropical climate, but is usually gone without trace a few minutes later.

Travel : Ueno Park and Zoo (Japan)

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Ueno Park which was opened in 1873, is one of Tokyo’s most visited public attractions. The park which is located just off of the Ueno Station, boasts a huge variety of museums, monuments, and temples. My wife and I had entered through the southern entrance where the famous statue of Saigo Takamori (a samurai) stands. We had only planned for a half day visit there, but it definitely was not enough time to see very much. Had we wanted to see everything the park had to offer, it would have taken us at least a couple days to cover. Depending on your interests, it would be best to plan to spend an entire day there.

Although the park was quite beautiful, it was inhabited by quite a large population of homeless folk. They didn’t harass us for money or anything like that, but it definitely was an eyesore to see them just laying around all the park benches and monuments. Although they probably don’t live there by choice, its definitely something the government should clean up. The park did not have many benches as it was, so it was a bummer when my wife could not find anywhere to sit to enjoy the scenery and soak in all the park had to offer.

After taking a few photos in front of Saigo Takamori, we made our way toward the Ueno Zoo. I have this fascination about animals, and no matter how many zoos I have visited, one more is always a welcome addition. On the way however, we caught ourselves stopping at many of the wonderful sideshow attractions. There were actually some really amazing performances, and one performance in particular which caught my attention involved and old man on a bicycle playing with a ton of homemade instruments.

When we finally arrived at the zoo itself, it was nearly noon time and our bellies were empty. Fortunately, there were a ton of vendors available to us at the zoo entrance to choose from. I bought a couple large “Chinese Shrimp Dumplings” which were just amazing and we washed that down with some delicious green tea. To finish off lunch, we wanted some soft serve ice cream, and I must admit that the caramel soft serve they had at the park, was one of the best I have ever tasted.

Much to my disappointment, when we arrived to pay for our tickets, I discovered that the Ueno Zoo no longer had any Panda bears. Apparently, the last one died in 2008. Although I was a bit disappointed, I knew it was partially my fault because I didn’t do enough research. Despite the setback, we paid for our entrance fee (600 yen) and preceded to the rest of the attractions. The park had quite a few animals and the “Gorilla Wood” and “Tiger Forest” were pretty cool. The Silverback gorrilla was enormous and I actually got up close and personal when he sat up against the glass with his back facing me. His arms were larger than my legs and he just looked like an animal that demanded respect. It was fascinating. We also witnessed a newborn Hippo being nursed which was pretty cool and a Black Rhino which looked pissed the entire time I stood there. The bars protecting me from him were at least a foot thick all around.

Despite all the great animals in the park, I felt really bad for some of them after looking at their living spaces. Many of them could hardly move around in their enclosures, and many of the large cats paced aimlessly for hours at a time. The Rhino we had saw definitely looked pissed and rightfully so. He could barely turn his body around to face the other direction. It definitely didn’t look like a very comfortable existence. Although I appreciate zoos and the opportunity to look up and close at wild animals, you cant help but feel bad for them when you realize that they spend their entire lives locked up in cages unable to really run free.

Overall, my experience at Ueno Park was a good one. If you lack the time to visit all of Tokyo, this is definitely a great place to start. With temples, museums, a zoo, and so many side shows, it provides and opportunity to experience many of the wonders of Japan all in one spot. I highly recommended it for the first time visitor.

Ueno Park Zoo Information:

Hours and Days Open

Ueno Zoo opens 9:30am. to 5:00pm (tickets sold until 4:00pm) and closes every Monday (closes Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday).

*The Vivarium and the Small Mammal House close the door at 4:15pm.
*The zoo closes from December 29 through January 1.

Admission

Adults (16-64) 600 yen
Seniors (65+) 300 yen
Students (13-15) 200 yen
Children (0-12) Free

Travel : Harajuku Tokyo Japan

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I know for a fact that my wife and I had missed quite a few things when we visited the Harajuku ward. We had listed the Meiji Shrine, the Oriental Bazaar and Yoyogi Park as our stops for the day, but when we finally got off the station, aside from the Meiji Shrine, we spent our entire day exploring Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street).

Takeshita Dori is basically a 400 meter strip filled with trendy shops, restaurants, ticket sellers, and fashion boutiques. Perhaps the biggest attraction (at least for us) on the entire strip was the Daiso Harajuku or 100 Yen Shop. The shop basically sells all its products for 105¥ (tax included), and majority of their inventory are actually of pretty decent quality. This Daiso in Harajuku is boasted as the largest found in central Tokyo, and with three floors to explore, we understood why. Here you’ll find a large selection of hardware, tableware, garden materials, household goods, leisure items, and food items all in one store. If I had been a resident of Japan, I’m certain much of my shopping for daily items would be here. Although items were only 105¥ a piece, by the time we left the shop for the first time, we had spent roughly over 10000¥ on just candy and snacks! My wife in particular has a huge love for Japanese Pinky mints, and she bought at least 3000¥ worth of mints alone.

After leaving the Daiso, we spent some time exploring the rest of the strip. There were a ton of interesting shops we had wanted to check out, but we honestly didn’t have the time or energy to visit them all. As a safety precaution I advise anyone going into these areas to travel with a companion and to be weary of thieves and hustlers. Its seems that no matter where you visit, there are always those people who are trying to make a quick buck. I had been offered on one occasion to be taken to a “hip hop” shop on the second floor of a building on the strip that seemed to lead to nowhere. Fortunately I was with a group of four and the guy decided to drop his invitation when he discovered I wasn’t alone.

How to get to Takeshita Dori :
Upon arriving at the Harajuku Station using the JR Yamanote Line, choose the “Takeshita Exit” when leaving the station. Upon exit, you will be directly facing Takeshita Dori. The Daiso is located on the left side of the street entrance.

During our second visit to Harajuku, we made it a point to visit the Meiji Shrine. We had not visited any shrines yet on our stay, and I felt it was important that we visited a few before going home. My biggest advice to anyone visiting this shrine is to wear comfortable shoes. It was a long walk in! The scenery on the way in was quite beautiful, and despite being located in the nations capital city, the atmosphere was serene and very appealing.

Since this was the very first shrine we visited, my wife decided to look up the proper etiquette for entrance. We discovered that at the gate of every shrine there is a purification fountain. Upon reaching the fountain, there are several purification steps to take before entering the sacred grounds. The process is simple:

1. Take one of the ladles provided and fill it with fresh water and rinse your left hand.
2. Fill the ladle for a second time and rinse your right hand.
3. Fill the ladle for a third time and cup some water in your hands to rinse your mouth. (do not sip directly from the ladle)
4. Rinse the ladle out and return to its proper place.

After completing the purification process we entered the shrine. Its important to be aware of your surroundings and note that photography is not allowed in certain areas of the shrine itself. The shrine isn’t simply a tourist spot, but rather a place for regular worship and we actually saw quite a few men and women in business suits stopping in to make and offering and say a short prayer. As with any place of worship, behaving calmly and respectfully are very important.

Before leaving, we decided to make offering. Here were the steps we used.

1. Advance before the god enshrined, and make your offering. (boxes for yen are in the front)
2. Bow deeply two times.
3. Clap your hands twice.
4. Say a short prayer.
5. Make a deep bow once more.

Advice : Be very weary of the areas you are allowed to photograph. The shrine itself is normally permitted to be photographed, but it is absolutely forbidden to take photos of the actual god enshrined at any temple.