A few things

Kelly and Kyle, arrived in Tokyo, and went home safely. We hung out with their friend Genki, and my friend Shuru, and we did some serious drinking accompanied by some serious karaoke. They stayed with me when they got back from Kyoto, and shopped till the last minute.

I got this Bernhard Willhelm top with them at the Parco, in Shibuya, mine is white with red pin stripe. Kelly got a mini-tote. The bag is really cool. It has a smiley face quilted on one side, and a pirate themed smiley face quilted on the other, and the straps are leather with gold chain. I really liked it too.


The day they left, I went to Singapore with my good friend Marilia. We stayed in a dorm at a nice hostel, Inn Crowd, in the Little India area of Singapore. Make your own breakfast was included, bread, eggs, coffee and tea. Before I left Tokyo, I was getting all these bug bites, and it was getting really red and itchy. When I was trying on a bra at a store (I ended up buying the bra) I saw how it had spread all over, and I was worried that it could be some weird disease or some kind of allergic reaction to something. I showed Marilia, expressed my discomfort, and we went to the hospital.

No trouble at all. Raffles SurgiCentre. I showed my passport, they gave me a number, we waited, I go into a room where the doctor (a woman) who was very nice, and spoke English, prescribed me a medicine and cream, and reassured me it was not an infectious disease or an insane reaction to...something. We waited some more, paid for the medicine, which worked wonderfully, and left.

Singapore's a lovely city, very modern. The Gateway, designed by I.M. Pei, stood out in the skyline (from the window at the hospital). There are hawker stalls, where you can get cheap, good food and fresh juices, and sit in the open air and eat (surprisingly, there were very few bugs flying around). There are 24 hour markets, Hindu temples next to Buddhist temples, and where we stayed was right next to a beautiful mosque, where we had to take our shoes off, and wear a robe to cover our shoulders and legs to go in.


From Singapore, we took a bus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. First, a pit stop in Johor Bahru, where we changed money and bus. The bus station in Kuala Lumpur was at an intersection where maybe 7 streets met. At first glance hard to navigate, but our hostel, Backpackers Travellers Inn, or Lodge (both exist, and on the same street), was not far. No breakfast there, but there was a women's only dorm. We met the most Japanese travelers there, incidentally, in the room we were staying in. We met a Japanese girl who had been traveling for 3 years, a girl who was on her way to Egypt, and a girl who had been living in that room for the past 3 months and who's studying English there. Two nights (Singapore was also two nights). We went to the Petronas Towers, where tickets are free, but you can only go a little less than halfway up. The towers are beautiful. The foundation is based on the shape of an eight pointed star, and has a strong Islamic influence.

Also in Kuala Lumpur:
Masjid Negara (National Mosque) - one of Southeast Asia's largest mosques
Menara Kuala Lumpur - fourth-highest telecommunications tower in the world

Phuket, Thailand, by plane. Three nights, the first two days, it was rainy, but it cleared up on the third and we went on a boat cruise to the Phi Phi island off the coast. This is where we got sunburned, swam in blue blue water, went snorkeling, beautiful landscape... Oh it was amazing. During the rain, we went on an elephant trek!



Bangkok, by plane. Stayed in a really nice hostel, Shambara Boutique Hostel and Restaurant. We had our own room with air conditioner, shared bathroom and shower, on Khao San Road. We only had a day and a half in Bangkok, so we did the tourist route to Wat Phra Kaew, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Went on two boat rides, one on the river and a smaller one on the canal. The canal boat ride was insanely cheap. It stops for barely a minute, you step onto a small boat that has only benches going across, and it takes you down this dark grey colored water that splashes everywhere so theres a tarp you pull up to keep you from getting wet, and also from seeing the laundry hanging in people's backyards and such. It was around this time I got a little worried about the money situation (which was silly of me). There was still more than half a trip left, and I had spent a little more than half the money I brought. But I still bought those silver earrings and that batik fabric...

Phnom Penh, by plane. Same day, Siem Reap, by bus. It was a six hour bus ride through the countryside. Yes, there were goats, rice fields, houses on stilts. It was quite beautiful, quite.
When we got to Siem Reap, we saw the sunset at Ankor Wat, and the next morning we went to see the sunrise at Ankor Wat. Trying to economize, we opted for the small tour with a tuk tuk driver around the temples. Look at the flickr pictures. It was amazing. There were a lot of tourists, but surprisingly few from America. We got some fresh coconuts from a girl who gave me a bracelet for good luck. We got to talk to the kids, who spoke English very well, and knew phrases in several other languages.

Ho Chi Minh City, by bus. Bumpy ride, also floated down the Mekong a bit. We only had a day here. We were kinda tired. Skipped the temples, but we went to the War Remnants museum where they mostly showed pictures with captions underneath. It made me think how much people suck, I was close to crying throughout the entire museum.

fin

By the end of the trip I finished Maugham's 'Of Human Bondage.' Really enjoyed that as well. There was a Seven Eleven in every country. There were street markets and food stalls everywhere, selling fruit, fish, meat, noodles, bread, souvenirs, clothes, handbags, jewelry, crap. We were tourist to the max. Everywhere we went had someone who could speak English or who could at least communicate the basics. Spiciest thing I had was the pho in Vietnam, but I put the peppers in the soup. Most delicious was the chicken with cashew nuts at the airport in Phuket, and the fruit juices, coconut, sugar cane, mango, papaya, pineapple. Most frustrating was negotiating with the tuk tuk drivers. Most beautiful were the islands off of Phuket province in Thailand, and Cambodia. I wish we could have spent more time in Phenom Penh, and in Vietnam and Bangkok.

Alas, I'm back in Tokyo where it's hot, and where Tokyo Fashion Week just started!
My school gave us tickets before summer break to one of the shows, doho.

A korean designer. Really pretty stuff. Lost of shiny colorful layered satin, sparkles, full tulle gathered skirts, the models looked a bit on the short side, and I realized they were all wearing flats.
It was at Roppongi's Tokyo Midtown. The venue was big, and full. Very dark, with two chandeliers hanging along the runway. The music was operatic, but only in that dramatic sense, with an electronic beat. All very appropriate.
I saw a bunch of my classmates there, as expected, they also got tickets. I dunno, I guess I expected more glamor. The Joanna Mastroianni show I went to in Bryant Park was crowded, and there was a lot of flash from cameras, and people mingling before and after the show. Maybe the outdoor vibe makes the Bryant Park scene seem more exciting. From the Tokyo Midown Hall A, where the show was, to the subway is 7 minute walk, it's all connected underground with restaurants and cafes in between.

One last thing. I saw Kap Bambino live at Warehouse, hosted by the fashion ramone, and they were AMAZING. Really good music to dance to. It's a girl and a guy. The girl sings and goes crazy, the guys plays the sound.