JellyfishKing Travel

UK 26 – Part 3 – Cardiff

Published on August 22, 2026August 25, 2026 by JellyfishKingLeave a comment

Day 1

We happily checked out of the Tower Hotel and caught an uber to Paddington Train Station. We are catching the train to Cardiff, the capital and largest city in Wales. We arrived a little early and took some photos with the Paddington Bear statue. The train was 10 minutes late and not crowded. We also booked first class so it was a pleasant journey.

Arriving in Cardiff we felt a sense of relief. After the crowded hectic pace of London, it was nice to breathe again.

We caught a taxi to our St David’s hotel at the bay. The hotel was beautiful – again such a contrast to the hot box of London’s Tower Hotel. The room was spacious with a sitting area and balcony with a stunning view over the quay. It was a little windy, but the air was refreshing. Again a welcome change from London.

After settling in we walked down to Mermaid Quay and Roald Dhal Plass. Mermaid Quay is pretty and has an array of pubs and restaurants over looking the docks. Roald Dhal Plass is named after the Cardiff born author and has carnival type entertainment mainly for kids.

We had an early dinner at the Botanist restaurant, as we can secured last minute tickets to see Jersey Boys at the Millennium Centre. Sarah suggested it to us and at £24 (48 AUD) a ticket we couldn’t pass it up.

The show was fantastic. Luke Baker, who played Frankie Valli was superb. Oh, what a night!

We returned to the hotel and drunk our “anniversary” gift from the Tower Hotel Champagne and potato crisps.

Day 2

Breakfast was included in St David’s. It was basic but nice.

Aaron’s mum, Sarah picked us up from the hotel and drove us to Bute Park. Part of the reason to visit Cardiff was to meet Bianca’s boyfriend’s parents, Sarah and Paul. Sarah walked us though the park which ended at Cardiff Castle. She left us there to explore the castle and the city. We are having dinner together with Paul later in the evening.

We explored the castle in between rain showers. Its very impressive to have a castle like this right in the middle of the city. It makes you realise how young our home town of Perth really is.

Jane had done her research again and found Cardiff has a Jollibee. So we had to have lunch there. After lunch we wandered around St David’s Shopping Centre. I found a Starbucks and bought a cup for my collection. “Caerdydd” – the only Starbucks “You are here” series I’ve seen with a non-English name. We made our way to the indoor markets to find the famous Welsh Cakes, recommended my Sarah. We had to queue – seems like they really are famous. We bought a few and sat in the mall and enjoyed one.

Out feet were starting to hurt again so we had a drink at Rum and Fizz waiting to meet Sarah and Paul.

When they arrived we had another drink, before heading across the road to Pasture for dinner. We continued the drinking swapping embarrassing stories about Bianca and Aaron. I’m sure their ears were burning. The food was delicious and we had lots of laughs. Despite our protests, Sarah and Paul picked up the bill. We can now see from where Aaron gets his generosity. Despite all the beer and wine, we decided there still more embarrassing things to say about Bianca and Aaron, so we move on to Blue Bell for post dinner drinks. We parted ways quite late and quite tipsy. What a great night! Sarah and Paul were lovely and we hit it off immediately. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon, perhaps in Perth later in the year. Looking forward to it!

Day 3

Today, we’re flying to Dublin – but not until late night (10.45pm). We had a 2pm checkout so we slept in. After the heavy drinking the night before the sleep-in was welcome.

Sarah suggest a trip to Penarth Pier and have lunch at the seaside. We caught an uber to Penarth. It was raining quite hard to we sheltered in Sid’s restaurant and shared a haddock and chips. The rain did ease and we walked up the pier and took some phots

We caught an uber back to Mermaid Quay and had a pint at the Dock pub. We were just killing time before we had to got to the airport. We walked back to to the hotel to collected our bags and caught an uber to Cardiff Airport for our Ryan Air flight to Dublin.

We were too early and had wait an hour for the check-in to open. I had bought extra baggage for the flight but I was worried because I knew small domestic carriers can be narky with big heavy bags. Check-in went smoothly. When it was time to board however, they looked at Jane’s carry-on bag and said they’d have to measure it. “Uh-oh” I thought, “here we go”. Sure enough it was too big and there “would be a charge”. Steam was coming out of Jane’s ears. One of her pet peeves is airline officials. This was a bag we’d used as carry-on in countless flights in the past. Nevertheless we paid the £75 (150 AUD) boarded the plane. The flight was only 45 minutes, possibly the shortest flight I’ve ever had.

In Dublin, Jane had to join the foreigner’s line at immigration, while I breezed through the EU/UK line. I waited for about 30 mins for Jane to get through. By this time it was nearing 1am. We we’re tired and frustrated. We caught a taxi to the accommodation, Carraig Townhouse, which was in Blackrock about 30 minutes from the airport. It took us a while to find the tiny entrance to the hotel and we had to lug our cases up a flight of stairs. We collapsed in the room exhausted.

UK26 – Part 2 – London

Published on August 19, 2026August 21, 2026 by JellyfishKingLeave a comment

Day 1 – Hot and Sweaty

We arrived in London quite fresh from the luxurious flight. We claimed our bags and went straight through immigration without any delay. There were taxis waiting with a queue so we decided to grab one to the hotel.

The weather was hot (32 deg) and the traffic was horrendous – which was expected. but £120 (240AUD) later we arrived at the Tower Hotel – hot, sweaty and frustrated.

We self checked in and went to our room. The view was stunning overlooking the Tower Bridge – BUT the room was like an oven – the thermostat displayed 33 deg. We tried to give it half an hour – maybe the aircon hadn’t kicked in. No change to the comfort level – so we asked for a room change. Jane managed to get a room with a nice view over St Katharine Docks. That room was also hot – but bearable – 28deg. The hotel never cooled down during our entire 5 day stay. I guess their air conditioning gave up trying.

We went for a walk around the hotel, checking out the Tower Bridge and St Katharine docks. We shared a fish and chips and a restaurant in the Docks. Jane wasn’t impressed with food.

Day 2 – Doughnuts

We woke early – Jetlag I suppose. We ventured out about 6am hoping to get some breakfast, Nothing was open! The hotel was actually serving breakfast but we didn’t want to pay £25 (50AUD) each for the buffet. We had a coffee and a cinnamon bun in Costa.

We walked over the bridge and along the South Bank. There weren’t lot of people around – just joggers (none of the them were smiling). We walked past Hay’s Galleria, but again we were too early for anything to be to be open. We pushed on to Borough Markets. Of course we got there too early and walked around waiting for opening time. London doesn’t cater for the jet-lagged.

One the Borough Markets were open we had a good look around and marveled at the exotic foods on offer. Jane wanted a doughnut from Bread Ahead after she saw it on Instagram. Bread Ahead was open, but their special doughnuts didn’t arrive until later (of course). Again we waited. A queue formed and with great pomp and ceremony the Doughnut were paraded out to cheers and applause from the idio… people in the line. Jane bought two at £10 (20AUD) each, Jane was in heaven, Me? They were ok but not worth all that fuss. Jane bought another two before we left – yes that’s $80 on doughnuts!

We crossed the Thames on the Millennium bridge and up to St Paul’s Cathedral. The cathedral was gigantic. We took photos around the grounds, but were too stingy to pay the entrance fee.

Next stop was the Barbican Centre, This is a performing arts centre with some nice gardens. By this time we had walked enough to deserve some refreshment. We stopped in at the The Jugged Hare for couple of pints.

Exhausted and tipsy we caught the tube back to the hotel for quick nap.

We awoke around sunset and had a quick dinner outside under the bridge. Nachos and buffalo wings from a food truck. We walked over the bridge for some sunset photos – the difference was amazing – so many people compared to early this morning. Tourists!

Day 3 – Thieving bastards

Again we woke early – but not as early. We walked past the Tower of London and found a Wetherspoons open for breakfast. The breakfast was ok. We took the tube to Westminster to take the obligatory photos on Big Ben, the London Eye and Westminster Abbey. Jane didn’t seem impressed with Big Ben – she thought in would be a Bigger Ben. We intended to visit Westminster Abbey but out Copilot (AI) generated itinerary failed to know that its closed for visitors on Sundays.

We pushed on to St James’s Park. This is London’s oldest Royal Park and is a nice thoroughfare to Buckingham Palace. The palace of course is the home of King Charles and the royal family. We were in luck as there was a royal band playing in the courtyard. Hundreds (maybe thousands) on people had gathered to witness it. The band matched out of the gates and down The Mall. We had a good view and was nice to witness a bit of royal pageantry.

We caught an Uber to Covent Garden and explored the shops. We both agreed is was time for some liquid refreshment so we scouted for a pub. Our “too early” curse was still with us. We found a pub that was open down the street. A couple of pints at the Marquess of Anglesey hit the spot.

Jane had seen a vintage shop selling Burberry trench coats near Covent Garden so we checked out “Check It Vintage“. There were indeed lots of Burberry coats but at £800 (1600AUD) for a second hand coat was out of Jane’s budget.

We caught the tube to Leicester Square – not to check out the artsy theatre district – but to have lunch at Jollibee. Whenever we go to a new city, Jane seeks out the famous Filipino favourite Jollibee. We sat with all the other Filipinos and Jane got her taste of home again. We will be coming back to Leicester Square tomorrow to catch the West End show Beetlejuice.

We to a short walk to Trafalgar Square. Unfortunately the fountains were closed and roped off for maintenance. The place was empty. The national gallery was right opposite and as there is free entry we decided to have a look. Such a great experience for free.

We took the tube to Kings Cross station to check out Platform 9 3/4. The famous scene where Harry Potter crashed his luggage through the wall into the secret platform reserved just for wizards. There was a massive queue (mostly kids) to get an official photo, so we snapped pic between the queuers.

Exhausted we took the tube back to Tower Hill and out hotel. Exiting the Tower Hill station, I remember opening my wallet to get my Wise card to tag off . I never saw my wallet again.

Our feet were in pain and glad to get back to the hotel for a rest. Reaching in my pocket for my room key I discovered my wallet wasn’t in my pocket. My heart sunk as I came to realise what had happened. I’d either dropped in on the way, or more likely I had been pickpocketed!

I froze the credit cards immediately. We retraced our steps back to Tower Hill just on the remote chance it was lying on the street somewhere. Nothing doing. We asked the guard at Tower Hill – nothing had been handed in. We returned to the hotel miserable and I got online and cancelled the two cards and ordered new ones. I checked the accounts and nothing was bought or withdrawn. I lost two credit cards – drivers licence – and £20 cash – and my nice Tommy Hilfiger wallet. I had all my other cards in the hotel safe.

I have been very vigilant on the street from then on – not to mention Jane asking my “where’s your phone” every five minutes!

To try an cheer ourselves up we went across the bridge to have dinner at Butlers Wharf. There are few nice restaurants on the river bank with a great view of the Tower Bridge. We chose the Chop House because the menu promised delicious steaks. I ordered a 200g rump – medium rare – for £40 (80AUD). At that price it should be perfect. It came over-cooked. I’m not usually one to complain, but I had to send it back. They apologised and said they can give to a Fillet steak as a replacement (£50 on the menu). When that arrived it was under-cooked! I didn’t mind it rare so I ate it. The staff were great and only charged me half price for the steak.

Day 4 – Looking for Hugh

We researched a good place to go for breakfast and De Vine was the clear winner. The breakfast was as good as advertised. We then catch the tube to Notting Hill. Jane loves the movie and was keen to bump into Hugh Grant. We walked to Portobello Road to see the famous Portobello Markets. Of course Jane had to visit the “Blue Door” and the Book Store featured in the movie. Hugh must have been busy that day.

We had lunch at Dishoom Permit Room, an Indian themed pub. The curry was delicious.

We continued our quest to find Hugh, wandering the beautiful streets on Notting Hill. We found the Rosemead Gardens also featured in the movie. The gates were locked however. It was a private garden for the residents. Hugh was probably in there. We made out way back to the hotel for a rest – holding our belongings tight.

We had tickets for the show Beetlejuice at the Prince Edward Theatre, We caught an Uber to Leicester Square for dinner before the show.

On the previous visit to Leicester Square we saw a restaurant called Bella Italia, and made a mental note for the pre-show dinner. Searching for the restaurant on google maps we discovered there are four Bella Italia’s in that area. We couldn’t remember the one we liked. We chose Bella Italia – St Martins Lane. We shared a pasta and garlic bread. Good choice.

Seeing a London West end show was a bucket list item of mine and Beetlejuice was a great choice. Although the Prince Edward Theatre was hot and claustrophobic we thoroughly enjoyed the show with lots of laughs. Definitely recommended.

Day 5 – GMT

Finally our jet lag was wearing off and we managed to sleep in. We skipped breakfast and made out way to Tower Pier to catch the Uber Boat to Greenwich.

Arriving at Greenwich we were hungry so we had lunch at Zizzi. The peperoni pizza was huge and delicious.

We walked though Greenwich park to the Queen’s House. This beautiful building was once a Royal Residence and now serves as an art gallery. We then took the steep climb to the Royal Observatory. The Royal Observatory played a major role in navigation and astronomy and has the Prime Meridian passing though it. Another bucket list item checked off as I straddle the line, having each foot in different hemispheres. It also had stunning views over the Thames and North London.

Making our way back down to the Pier, we stopped and had a drink at The Ship Tavern.

We took the Uber Boat back to Canary Wharf and strolled around the modern buildings and docks. We were surprised to see people swimming in the docks water.

We caught the DLR train back to hotel. The DLR is a automated driverless light rail system. We arrived safely.

For our last night in London we booked dinner at Darwin Brasserie in the Sky Garden complex. It was walking distance from the hotel. We were lucky enough to get a window table and the views from the 36th floor were spectacular. The food and service was also top class.

Day 6 – Off to Wales

Our last day in London. A quick breakfast at Côte before checking out of the hotel.

We caught an uber to Paddington Station to catch the GWR train to Cardiff.

The train departed 10 minutes late – which wasn’t bad for London trains – and we were soon scooting through the English countryside to Cardiff.

UK26 – Part 1 – Serious Business

Published on August 16, 2026 by JellyfishKingLeave a comment

Jane and I are off to the United Kingdom and Ireland for three weeks. The itinerary includes: flying to London with Qatar Airways; 5 days in London; Cardiff for two days; Dublin for two days; self drive around Ireland and Northern Ireland ending in Belfast; Edinburgh; self drive around Scotland for five days; returning back to Edinburgh before heading home.

This trip has special significance, as we’re carrying some of the ashes of my Mother and Father who both passed away in the last twelve months. We are meeting up with my cousins, Keith and Alison in Edinburgh to spread the ashes of my parents and Keith and Alison’s parents on Arthur’s Seat overlooking their homeland city of Edinburgh. I was lucky enough to visit Edinburgh in 2024 with my Dad while he was still able.

We had booked the flights late 2025 to get the best possible deal. After spending days analysing the prices and whether we can use our frequent flier points, we decided to book economy with Qatar Airways, flying via Doha. My dream was to fly business class, but we didn’t have the required points and the prices was outside our budget.

My dad passed away in August 2025, and my mum followed soon after in February this year. It was incredibly hard to watch their decline over the past few years, but they built a good life together and created a loving family. Although we’re not a particularly spiritual family, my sister Ann and I felt it would be meaningful to take some of their ashes back to Scotland, where they both grew up.

As the flight day grew closer I kept an eye on the business class upgrade offer from Qatar. It was still very high one week away from departure. But eventually it did come lower and we snapped up the Perth to London leg. The Edinburgh to Perth leg was still very high, so we left that as economy (for now). So we’re flying to London Business Class – how exciting!

QSuite

The Perth to Doha leg was on a Boeing 777-300ER with QSuite Business Class. This is widely accepted as the best business class in the world.

We arrived and checked in early to take advantage of the lounge. Qatar Airways uses the Air New Zealand lounge at Perth Airport. It’s fairly small and basic, by world standards, but the booze flowed freely and the food was ok.

Air New Zealand lounge. Hurry up with those champagnes Jane!

Priority boarding soon had us settling into our home for the next 11 hours. WOW the seats … or should I say cubicle was spectacular. Where’s my champagne? It came with the level of service we were quickly going to get used to.

There were no set meal times, the flight attendants took our orders from the menu and will be delivered whenever we wish. I was still full, so I ordered a cheese platter after take off and breakfast before we land in Doha. Boarding at 10.30pm means much of the flight is overnight. The biggest advantage of business class is you get a flat bed in which to sleep. I got my cheese platter along with a classic gin martini. I settled in and watched a movie, Anaconda (the 2026 reboot) starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd. It was ok. After the movie I got changed into my complimentary pyjamas. When I got back to my seat the attendant have converted it into a bed. Nighty night.

I had a pretty good sleep. Probably around six hours. with still 2 and half hours to Doha I freshened up and changed back into my clothes. By bed was returned to a seat when I go back. Then breakfast was served.

Doha

We arrived ahead of schedule in Doha and went immediately into the Al Mourjan Business Lounge. Wow the lounge seemed as big as Perth Airport itself. It was 5.30am – too early for the breakfast buffet, although Jane and I just had breakfast on the plane and weren’t really hungry. We found a nice spot to sit. I had a coffee while Jane went for a shower. I had a shower later.

We decided to check out the buffet and had a little bite to sample the food. No bacon – but was expected in a Middle East country. We decided to see if the bar served Bloody Marys – they did indeed – not expected in a Middle East country.

“Normal” Business Class

The leg from Doha to London was on a Airbus A380. This aircraft wasn’t fitted with QSuite. But the “normal” business class was still spectacular. Where is missed with no QSuite, it made up for with a lounge area. This is a full bar surrounded by seats. After another breakfast (3rd one on the trip) we visited the lounge and had more bloody marys. We also had canapes and I had a couple of drams of The Glenlivet.

We arrived at London Heathrow again ahead of schedule very refreshed (and a little tipsy). Through immigration with no line and delay out to a waiting taxi.

What an experience. There was nothing to fault in the whole journey. Qatar Business Class is truly magnificent.

Thanks Dad.

Vietnam for beginners – Part 2

Published on April 3, 2026 by JellyfishKing1 Comment

See Vietnam for beginners Part 1 here.

Football day

Booking a vacation during football season is always a gamble. This time I’m missing a Fremantle Dockers home game. The mission was to find a nice venue to watch the game live. On out first day, we thought we’d found the place but they turned us off with their bill – $100+ for 17 beers and 5 cocktails – outrageous!

The day started with a bicycle ride through the streets around the hotel. Jane talked up her bike riding prowess, but couldn’t get out of the carpark, so she decided she should wait at the pool. Anthony and I spent about 30 minutes riding around the nice streets. We were lucky enough to see a herd of water buffalos making their way somewhere. From what Thomas, our “My Son” tour guide had to say about water buffalos – were they going for a swim?

Around lunch time we made our way into the old town to find a sports bar. We tried the Shamrock Irish Pub, but some rugby league and F1 fans had already hogged the TVs. We pushed and found Seventyone Steak House and Sports Bar that both NRL and AFL on. That’ll do! Jane went to get her hair coloured. She joined us half way through the game. An easy win to the Dockers over the Richmond Tigers was satisfying.

We went back into the town for another Banh Mi at Tiệm Bánh Mì Phượng. Good, but Belmont is still Jane’s favourite.

Later on we have dinner at the Met Vietnamese Restaurant. Food was ok but not comparable to QQ my two food critics declared.

Da Nang

The next day we planned to spend the day in the city of Da Nang. Da Nang is the fourth largest city in Vietnam and is a popular tourist spot in its own right. Its famous for its beach and proximity to Ba Na Hills and Hoi An. It has a few other attractions which we’d planned to explore in the afternoon.

After eating Vietnamese food exclusively since we arrived, we were ready for some western food. I was particularly hanging out for a pizza. I researched a place (4P’s Pizza) on the river with high rating. It seemed like everyone had the same idea and there was a quite a queue at the door. We decided to walk up the streets and find somewhere else. We decided on a small Vietnamese restaurant on the street. We had Pho and all agreed was the worst meal of the trip so far. The soup was far to “perfumy” for my taste – coriander beat me for the first time in Vietnam.

We took a Grab to Chùa Linh Ứng Pagoda which features a Buddhist temple and gigantic Lady Buddha statue. There was lots of statues and temples in a nice garden setting. It was quite hot walking around so we decided to back to the beach area and cool off with a drink.

The beach is a popular spot for tourists. There were quite a few people enjoying beach activities and water sports such as parasailing and jet skiing. There were looks of restaurants on the beach. We did a mini pub crawl down the beach sampling beers and cocktails. Watching the people on the beach (mostly young girls taking photos of themselves) and the sunset was fun.

Once the sun set we walked back towards the dragon bridge to find a good position to watch the fire show. On weekends at 9pm the head of the dragon breathes fire. This is one of the must-see attraction in Da Nang. We wandered through the night markets and found a elevated bar with a good view of the bridge. At around 8.30 we had dinner and waited for the fire. When it came it was spectacular, but a little underwhelming. After the fire the dragon head sprayed water. We had been advised to stay away from the water because it’s actually dirty (smelly) river water.

We caught a Grab back to Hoi An having enjoyed the day.

Ba Na Hills

The next was a full day at Ba Na Hills. Ba Na Hills is 30 km from Da Nang and an hour’s drive from Hoi An. Its formerly a French Village built high in the hills. It has been rebuilt into a theme park part of the Sun World chain. The only way for tourists to get there is by a long spectacular cable car. There is actually a series of cable cars connecting the base station to the various attractions.

We organised a Grab driver the previous night to pick us up from the hotel, wait for us and drive us back. We had read its better to arrive early to try to avoid the crowds. He arrived at 7am and were made to the Ba Na Hills, arriving at the carpark at 8am. There was a small bus ride to the “Base” station where we purchased tickets. (1M VND each).

The cable car ride was indeed lovely. We were lucky to have a clear day and the views were spectacular. First stop was the Golden Bridge. This has become iconic with Vietnamese tourism. Its a 150m bridge “supported” by two enormous hands. There was already lots of people on the bridge and was difficult to take clear photos. It was very impressive nonetheless.

We caught another short Cable Car to the main village. This was much bigger with the historical French Village with restaurants, shows and amusement rides. Anthony and I went on the “self drive” rollercoaster. It was good fun, although quite a short ride. We walked around the area exploring the structures. When we found the Beer Plaza we cashed in our vouchers for two glasses of their beer brewed on the premise. We had lunch a fried chicken restaurant, more to rest our feet if nothing else. After lunch we noticed we were on time to see the “After Glow” cabaret show. It was entertaining but seemed out of place and a bit weird in such a family oriented attraction.

At 3pm we felt we’d seen everything and made our way down the cable car to meet our driver in the carpark. It was a great day out, although very tiring.

We got back to the hotel in time for happy hour and dinner.

Tuesday was our last day in Vietnam. We decided to have a lazy day. Jane went into the town to have some hair treatments.

Its a wrap

Home on Wednesday after a whole day of travelling. Thanks to Anthony for inviting me into the Singapore Airlines lounge in Singapore. Jane was happy shopping in the designer shops while we enjoyed beers, G&Ts and dumplings.

What a fantastic introduction to the beauty of Vietnam this holiday was! We all agreed that we must return soon to explore even more.

My thoughts on the trip:

Probably a wrong choice of hotel. The Bellerive was nice and a reasonable price. A hotel in the Hoi An old town would have been better – closer to the action.
We didn’t use most of our lunch/dinner/cocktails inclusions. We also didn’t use our Afternoon Tea entitlement.
Grab is invaluable. There were always drivers available and very cheap.
Food was great. We ate almost exclusively Vietnamese food. We didn’t get coriander poisoning as we feared. It was actually difficult to find coriander. I think they over do it in Australia!
10 days (ended up being 9) was probably too long for just one place. However, there was enough to do and see around Hoi An and Da Nang.
We realised you could have a very cheap holiday here provided you can get a good priced airfare.
Travelling with Anthony is always fun. He seems to know what to do all the time and is never stressed. (Great to balance out travelling with Jane!).

A more comprehensive trip to Vietnam is in the planning – travelling the whole extent of the country. If you have any recommendations let me know in the comments.

Vietnam for beginners – Part 1

Published on April 2, 2026April 3, 2026 by JellyfishKing1 Comment

Jane and I have always wanted to visit Vietnam. We’d heard so many good things about it. We keep our eye out for a good deal and when Luxury Escapes offered a Hotel Package in Hoi An, it looked like a good little introduction to Vietnam.

The deal was 10 days in the Bellerive Hoi An Hotel and Spa. It included Breakfast and Lunch or Dinner. Other inclusions were a daily cocktail, a massage per person and an Afternoon Tea. We booked flights with Singapore Airlines flying from Perth to Singapore then on to Da Nang. Hoi An is a 30 minute drive from Da Nang. The hotel provided airport transfers for arrival (only).

My Son, (pronounced Mi Sun) Anthony decided to join us.

Getting there

For a 6.40am flight we set the alarm for 3.30. Wearily, we awoke to find the flight had been delayed two hours. As we were excited for the trip we got up anyway. Anthony was driving to the airport and was already on his way to pick us up. We quickly realised that the delay was going to cause us to miss our connecting flight to Da Nang.

We arrived in Singapore to be greeted by Singapore Airlines staff that explained that they has booked us on the next flight to Da Nang the following morning. They also arranged a night’s accommodation in Singapore with transfers and dinner included. We had flown with Singapore Airlines many times and this was our first experience of a major disruption. It was handled with typical Singapore Airlines professionalism.

So for our first night we stayed at the Citadines Connect City Hotel. It was an average hotel quite close to Clarke Quay. It served the purpose. We ventured out to Clarke Quay for a drink and to find some supplies, as we only had our hand luggage. Dinner was at the nearby ominously named Black Society Restaurant. The meal was pretty average by Singapore Standards.

The second leg of the journey was smooth and we arrived in Da Nang 11.30 the next morning. Our driver was late giving us an anxious 20 minute wait, and we were soon on our way to Hoi An.

Bellerive Hotel

We arrived at the Bellerive in good time. The hotel was new and quite stylish. The room was spacious and clean. We were on the 6th (top) floor with a great view over the pool to the inlet. Anthony had the room next door. We were keen to explore the area so we made our way to the beach. After five minute stroll to a nice sandy beach, we found a local restaurant for lunch. Bamboo was very basic, but what a good choice! Anthony and Jane were keen to get into the Pho and I ordered the Vietnamese Pancake. The old lady from the kitchen came out and showed me how to roll the pancake with some greens (no coriander) into a rice paper roll. Delicious!

Back at the hotel we were eager to see the “free” cocktail and dinner menu. The cocktail choice was a bit limited with seven classics. Anthony’s favourite Pina Colada didn’t make the cut. After the complimentary one, the menu opened up for happy hour 2 for 1 deal. Anthony then got his Pina Colada fix. The dinner menu options were quite good with a choice off salad, soup, main and dessert. Soups and main meal choices were both Vietnamese and Western. Desserts were simply fresh fruit, mousse or ice cream. Anthony and Jane were disappointed with their meals and decided that we would eat outside the hotel from then on. I enjoyed mine however. We did, in fact, have our free allocation a few times after that, so it wasn’t a total waste.

Basket cases

Day 2 in Vietnam was supposed to be day 3 and we had booked a Coconut Forest Basket Boat Ride tour with lunch. It included pick and drop off from the hotel and at $19 each I was a little skeptical that it was going to be any good. It was very good indeed. The paddle through the forest was nice and the “captain” of out boat was quite entertaining. The river opened up to a wider junction where the little basket boat could spin around very fast like a sideshow ride. After the boat ride we had very nice lunch. $19 well spent!

Instead of taking us back to the hotel, we had the option of being dropped in Hoi An Old Town. This is the heart of Hoi An, about 20 minutes from or hotel. We walked around the lovely, albeit busy, streets. Jane wanted to buy some Jade Jewelry so we navigated the streets and alleyways to find the top rated shops. Jane settled on XUE Jade and purchase a few bracelets. Anthony and I decided we needed a reward for our tremendous patience so we found a bar for a refreshing ale. The Kangaroo Sports Bar was an Aussie pub that advertised showing the AFL football. As I was missing a Fremantle Dockers home game while I was here, we needed a venue to watch the match a few days later. 17 refreshing ales later we left to find something to eat. I don’t believe for a minute Anthony and I drank 17 pints (Jane was drinking cocktails), but they insisted and we didn’t keep our own tally. Admittedly, we did have a few though. I thought they could’ve have been a bit nicer to us as Anthony bought us their t-shirt and Jane was out on the street spruiking for customers. She managed to ring in a few suckers, I mean customers. Anyway we decided to find somewhere else to watch the game on Saturday.

The next day was a quiet day recovering from hangovers. In the evening we thought we have to get off our bums and decided to walk up to Cua Dai Beach for seafood dinner at Tan Loc Seafood restaurant. The seafood platter for two was ample for the three of us. The food was great and quite cheap.

My Son (not Anthony)

The next day we had booked a tour to My Son (pronounced Mee-Soon) Sanctuary.

My Son is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom. On the trip into the countryside our tour guide, Thomas (not his Vietnamese name) outlined the history on the place in great detail. There was so much information it was hard to remember it all. But fascinating nonetheless.

Before the sanctuary we stopped a local village and witnessed rice paper making. Both Jane and Anthony had a go making a sheet.

On arrival at the site, we were treated to a cultural performance. We then walked up the temple ruins, where Thomas had even more information on the architecture and even the composition of bricks that were made over 1000 years ago. It was remarkable that the site was in such good condition for all that time considering tribe conflicts, colonisation and wars. There was evidence of bomb craters at the site from the Vietnam War (Americans!).

On the way home we stopped at another village for lunch. The food was ok and we chatted to some of the other tourists. There was one couple from Germany were lawyers. The girl was saying she had just become a Judge. We didn’t ask her ages but surely she was only in her 20s!

A boat ride up the rive to the old town concluded the tour. We decided to stay in the old town, wander around until night to have a lantern boat ride. Jane and Anthony had a famous Egg Coffee on a restaurant that was actually a boat. It’s made with coffee, egg yolks and condensed milk. It was way to sweet for me, but I could see why people liked it.

Jane was itching to find the Banh Mi Queen (Madam Khanh) for the best Banh Mi in town. We found it and luckily there was no queue. We took several photos for the “Stand Banh Mi” Instagram post. By the time we were ready to order a queue has formed. I guess Jane must be an influencer after all. The Banh Mi was very good – but surprisingly Jane didn’t think it was as good as Belmont Forum’s version. We hurried away before anyone over heard her.

After the sun set we endeavoured to get the lantern boat experience. Being impatient we skipped the line and hired a motor boat as opposed to the traditional oar boat. It swerved the purpose and we added to the pollution of the river by launching our lanterns.

Dinner at the Nhà Hàng QQ Restaurant was great, Jane and Anthony rated this the best meal of the trip.

Vietnam for beginners – Part 2 is here

Oasis in Sydney

Published on November 11, 2025December 19, 2025 by JellyfishKing1 Comment

Ever since I have known Jane, she was a big Oasis fan. Whenever Wonderwall was heard, she always said, “that’s my favourite song.” She also kept saying, “if they ever get back together, we have to go and see them.” I always replied, “yep, you’re on” (mostly because I never thought they would actually do it!).

Well, they did!

Originally the tours were just in the UK, but to my relief, they announced shows in Melbourne and Sydney. I scrambled for tickets and managed to secure two tickets for the Nov 8 Sydney show.

So we had a weekend in Sydney, immediately after getting back from Thailand. Jane further complicated things by traveling to Melbourne for work between Thailand and Sydney. That meant I flew alone from Perth and met Jane in Sydney via Melbourne.

Seeing it was close to our anniversary, we decided to splurge on the hotel, choosing the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay. The location was ideal, just a two-minute walk to Circular Quay.

I arrived later than Jane and was disappointed to be placed on the 8th floor with a less than spectacular view. Jane complained the next day and they changed us to the 21st floor with a nicer view. The room itself was a little dated and was a bit disappointing for the price we paid.

View from the 21st floor, Sydney Marriot

The next day (Friday) we had nothing planned, so we explored the city, even though we’re both familiar with the town. We had a late breakfast at the Naked Duck, which was very nice. Walking down to the Pitt St Mall, we did a bit of shopping. There was a Call of Duty Black Ops 7 promo event, where Jane and I won a T-shirt and a Body Bag. We saw the musical, The Lovers, at the Theatre Royal Sydney. We took a chance and booked tickets for that night. Before the show, we had an early dinner at Tapavino right next door to the hotel.

The Lovers was a modern take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was quite entertaining. Jane loved it.

Saturday was concert day. We woke late and made our way to Circular Quay for lunch. We had pizza at Bennie’s. Back to the hotel for a pre-concert nap before making our way to Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park.

Getting to the concert was quite easy. There was an express train from Central Station. We arrived early and bought some “merch.” We caught up with Jane’s Melbourne friends. The opening act Ball Park Music was quite good.

Oasis came on stage right on time (refreshingly) at 8:45 pm. The hits came thick and fast. An early highlight for me was “What’s the Story Morning Glory.” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” was another belter.

They left the three biggies until the end with “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Wonderwall,” and “Champagne Supernova.” They played for two hours solid with fireworks to close it out. The 75,000 fans loved every minute.

We got back to our hotel, ears ringing, around 1 am after getting McDonald’s at Circular Quay.

Sunday was home time. We checked out of the hotel at 11 am and ventured into the city. We went up the Sydney Tower Eye to see the spectacular views of this picturesque city. The last time I went up the tower was in 1983 – things have changed a bit since then.

Seeing it was our anniversary, we booked Qantas Lounge Passes for the trip home. We arrived three hours early to take advantage of the free food and drinks.

We arrived home exhausted (despite the many naps we took).

Jane’s Bucket List: Oasis Live ☑

Rain, Rain, Koh Samui away

Published on November 2, 2025December 19, 2025 by JellyfishKingLeave a comment

Jane and I have decided to give Bali a rest and explore other parts of Southeast Asia for our “relaxing” type holidays. We booked a week in Koh Samui, Thailand’s second largest island sitting in the Gulf of Thailand. We took a Luxury Escapes package staying at the Pavilion Samui Villas and Resort. The Pavilion Samui resort is situated on Lamai Beach, southeast of the island. It’s about a 30-minute car ride from the airport.

Getting there

We flew Singapore Airlines (from Perth) via Singapore. As Koh Samui airport only allows two airlines, Scoot and Bangkok Airways, the Singapore to Koh Samui (USM) leg was operated by Scoot. Coming home we flew Bangkok Airways to Singapore. Nothing to complain about, all flights were excellent.

Samui International Airport is quite primitive. It reminded me of traveling around the small cities in the Philippines. Nonetheless, it was quite efficient, and our transport to the hotel was waiting for us.

It was raining hard. The picturesque view on route to the hotel was somewhat ruined, but i didn’t dampen our excitement however.

Pavilion Samui Villas and Resort

We arrived at the hotel and were informed we were upgraded to a balcony jacuzzi room. It sounded wonderful. The room was indeed nice, but traipsing up and down the stairs got pretty old after a week. The view from the balcony was neither the ocean nor the pool.

The hotel was empty. We should have done some research, as we didn’t know it was the wet season in Koh Samui. Apparently, Phuket and Koh Samui have differing wet seasons. Some patrons came and went. But it was actually nice to have the place to ourselves most of the time.

The luxury escapes package included: daily breakfast; daily lunch or dinner; daily free-flow drinks (1-hour limit); massage for two (…meaning 2 massages for Jane).

The breakfast was nice with a good variety without being spectacular. The egg chefs were excellent (I resisted saying eggcellent there). I tried fried, poached, and omelet. Jane stuck with her omelet every day.

The lunch and dinner menus were the same and offered a large variety, from Thai dishes to European and burgers and pizzas. Most of the food was good, although there were a few “misses.” We tried to stick to the Thai dishes.

The highlight, though, was the free-flow drinks from 3:30 – 4:30 PM, particularly the cocktails. We’ve had drinks packages before, and we’ve found they are usually pretty stingy with the spirits. The cocktails at the Lookout Bar were first class. Jane’s favorite was the mango daiquiri, which wasn’t actually on the menu. I floated between beers (Singha, Chang, and Leo) and Mai Tai and Piña Colada cocktails. Chit behind the bar was excellent. After the free-flow session, happy hour kicked in where there was buy one, get one free. We were usually too hammered to kick on, though.

Ang Thong Marine Park cruise tour

Before we left, we had booked a Ang Thong Marine Park Discovery Day Cruise tour through Luxury Escapes for Tuesday. The weather looked promising, and we were looking forward to exploring past our beach area. However, the day before, we were dismayed when they informed us it was cancelled due to insufficient attendees. Luxury Escapes had no hesitation in providing a full refund.

Island tour

Rebounding from our canceled cruise, we hastily booked another tour. This was a Half Day Highlights Koh Samui Tour through Viator on Wednesday.

Wednesday, as it turned out, was the wettest day of our trip. It didn’t stop raining the whole day.

The highlights included:
Wat Plai Laem. A beautiful temple characterised by architecture that blends Buddhism and Chinese culture

Wat Phra Ya. The Big Buddha Temple is one of Koh Samui’s most iconic landmarks. Located on a small island connected to the mainland, it features a massive 12 metre tall golden Buddha statue that can be seen from miles away

Lad Koh View Point. View over Chaweng Bay and the coastline. This would have been much more spectacular on a clear day,

Hin Ta Hin Yai. Grandfather and Grandmother rocks. A large rock located on the coast of the sea, shaped like male and female genitalia. We could see the the granddad, but the grandmother was too slippery apparently. No comment.

Wat Khunaram. The mummified body of Loung Pordaeng is housed in a glass casket at Wat Khunaram in Koh Samui, passed away in 1973 and his body has remained remarkably preserved.

Na Muang Waterfall. Stunning waterfall features a cascade that flows into a natural pool. They say you can have a swim in the pool, but the recent rains made it very powerful and dangerous to get near.

Our guide, Yai was very lively and quick with his jokes. He also “conned” us into buying coconut caramel and coconut ice cream from the local vendors. Despite the rain it was thoroughly enjoyable and informative.

Cocktail class

The hotel had some free activities in anticipation of rainy days. These included a “Mixology Cocktail Class” and “Thai Culinary Class.” There were others, but Jane and I signed up for those two.

The cocktail class was run by our favorite barman, Chit. There were only Jane and I in the class. We got to choose a cocktail from the menu, and Chit showed us the recipe and how to make it. Jane chose the Piña Colada, and I chose the Mai Tai.

It was a bit of fun, and the results were delicious.

Cocktail making with Chit. Jane Piña Coldada, Alan Mai Tai

Cooking class

The next day was the Thai cooking class. Jane and I were join by Walter, a newly arrived German fellow. The dish of the day was Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour prawn soup). Walter opted for Tom Yum Gai (chicken) because he had a seafood allergy. We had the hotel chefs guiding us through it. Again the results was aroi mak mak!

We chatted to Walter and his wife Jutta later over cocktails. They were a lovely retired couple who were spending 5 weeks travelling around Asia. He gave me his details and invited us to visit him when we get to the south of Germany (around Munich or Stuttgart region).

Thai cooking class with new friend Walter. Making Tom Yum Goong

Beach life

The rest of the holiday was spent hanging around the beach and exploring local bars and restaurants.

The last night we had dinner at the Lamai Night Markets. The eateries were all popular with tourists. A had a Massaman curry for 120 THB ($6 AUD) which was one of the best meals of the trip.

Thoughts on Koh Samui

This was my third trip to Thailand. Jane’s second. It was a welcome change to our normal relaxing Bali holidays. We should have done some research on the weather before we chose Koh Samui. It rained quite a lot. But reading the news, there was a lot of bad weather in other parts of Thailand, and indeed all over the world, including Australia. The weather didn’t ruin the trip however and we did have a great time.

Highlights were:

Hotel staff were nice
Cocktails were plentiful and delicious.
Half day trip around the island was fun
Not being at work

Comparison to Bali

As I said we were trying new destinations. So how does Koh Samui stack up against Bali?

Alan

	Koh Samui	Bali
People	3	4
Food	4	3
Getting there	4	5
Things to do	4	5
General Vibe	3	4
Total	18	21

Jane

	Koh Samui	Bali
People	4	4
Food	5	5
Getting there	5	4
Things to do	5	4
General Vibe	4	3
Total	23	20

Pretty close, but Bali just pips Koh Samui for me and the opposite for Jane. We’ll definitely be back to Thailand. Perhaps Krabi, Chang Mai or Phuket.

What’s next? Vietnam in February 2026!

Japan 2025 Part 2: Hiroshima & Shizuoka

Published on February 28, 2025March 1, 2025 by JellyfishKing1 Comment

This is part two of our Japan 2025 trip. Part one is here.

We’re traveling to Hiroshima today from Osaka.

Hiroshima, of course, is famous for suffering the horrendous tragedy 6 Aug 1945 when the first ever Atom Bomb was used in war. The effect was devastating wiping out nearly half of the population instantly. Countless others died in the years following from the effects of the radiation. Hiroshima people have turned this tragic event into a shrine for peace and a constant reminder to the world that the use of nuclear weapons is evil.

Jane and I wanted to visit this city on the last trip, but we couldn’t quite fit it into the schedule.

We caught the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka station at 11.20 arriving at 12.51 (yes, it arrived dead on time). Our hotel was not far from Hiroshima station, so we just caught a taxi to the Smile Hotel. We were too early for check-in, so we dropped our bags, and embarked on a 1km walk to the Peace Memorial Park.

Hiroshima had a very different feel to the giant metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka. The streets were wide and far less crowded. The hustle and bustle were replaced by calm and serenity. At last, some relief. It was a cold day so we went into the Peace Memorial Museum to learn more about the 1945 event.

After purchasing the 400 yen ($4.40 AUD) we joined the line that snaked around the various exhibits. There were lots of people in the museum – all silent. It was quite an eerie feeling. People quietly reading the stories, trying to imagine what was like. I found myself quite emotional while reading about the people living there at the time.

We made our way back to the hotel, as it was check-in time. We will be revisiting the peace park the next day as part of the Hiroshima and Miyajima tour.

The Smile Hotel is “no-frills”. Rooms are only serviced every three days. Amenities, such as toothbrushes, combs, sewing kits, and yes pyjamas, can be taken from a store next to the reception. Towels can be changed each day by leaving them outside the door. Our room was nice. Again small, but clean and comfortable. The shower was hot and strong with a rain-shower head. Very welcoming on a cold day.

We ventured downtown to check out the shopping. As we’d had enough of ramen, sushi and other Japanese food, we went looking for “ethnic” restaurants. We found an Italian place simply named “Pasta”. The menu was in Japanese and the waiter’s English was not strong, but despite that we had a delicious pasta and garlic bread and a couple of glasses of decent Italian red.

The next day was the tour of Miyajima Island and Hiroshima Peace park. Our guide was due to pick us up from the hotel at 7.30, but I managed to get Jane out of bed at 6.30 to try and get some breakfast. It was going to be a big walking day, so we needed to fuel up. Ramen on a cold morning hit the spot. As were finishing the meal Jane noticed with great excitement that it started to snow outside. She ran out of the restaurant gleefully to “catch some flakes”.

We proceeded to take a million photos as we didn’t know how long it would last. It lasted all morning and got a lot heavier. Sei (pronounced “Say”), our guide was waiting at the hotel. He outlined the itinerary. It was a walking tour, with quite a bit of public transportation. Our JR Pass helped a lot, but did not cover busses and trams.

First was a bus and train ride to the ferry terminal for the trip to Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima. It is known for its ancient temples and the large red wooden “gate” just offshore. The ferry trip took just 10 minutes and we disembarked in the heavy snow and made our way to view the Torii Gate. Sei commented that he never seen the Torii Gate in the snow and was impressed how majestic it looked. A couple of deer were wandering around too, which seemed to make it more magical.

A short walk to the Itsukushima Shrine was the next stop. This is a 12^th century Shinto Shrine. The structure was impressive with stunning views over the bay and the Torii Gate. Up the hill another important shrine of the island, Diasho-in. This is a Buddhist temple, which struck me as odd being so close to the Shinto Shrine. When I asked Sei about, it he said most Japanese worship both Shinto and Buddhism. He said its not unusual for Japanese households to have tributes to both religions in them. The Buddhist temple was quite different from the Shinto, but equally impressive. Again, there were plenty of deer roaming around, quite comfortable being around the people. Sei left us for a while to roam around the shopping area before heading back to the ferry terminal. We sampled the island speciality treat Momiji manjū. A filled baked and deep fried rice cake. I had custard while Jane has red bean paste. It was still snowing and a hot snack as just the ticket. Jane had a Matcha Latte also – Matcha and red bean… there’s no accounting for taste!

After the ferry ride and train to Hiroshima city it was time for lunch. Sei gave us a couple of options, but there was no other choice for me than to sample Hiroshima’s famous Okonomiyaki. This is a strange combination of pancake, cabbage, noodles, egg and other fillings cooked on a large barbeque plate, teppanyaki style right in front of you. It was a fun experience and delicious. I added seafood to mine, while Jane had the “classic”. Sei, a 78 year old small man gobbled his up quickly, while Jane and I struggled to finish ours. We asked Sei to explain to our hosts that we enjoyed the food but were just too full to finish it.

Back on the bus to the Peace Memorial Park. Sei took us to all the significant monuments. Sei came to Hiroshima in 1965, twenty years after the bomb. He recounted that the city had been rebuilt about 80-90% by then. The Atomic Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dome) was significant for me. A building that partially survived the blast so close to the detonation point. Again, it was a sombre reminder of what could happen to the world in the hands of madmen. Lucky there are no madmen in charge of nuclear weapons these days… phew!

The tour did include a visit to the Peace Memorial Museum, but as we had already did that, Sei took us to the Shukkeien Garden. Getting there involved riding on two trams. Finding the 280 yen fare proved frustrating. The garden nestled in the heart of the city, is a miniature Chinese style garden. It has stopped snowing and the sun was out and it was almost warm. As we strolled around the garden we reflected on the day’s activities and learnings. How lucky we are to be here and experiencing this. “Hats off” to you Hiroshima, turning something so horrible into something beautiful and inspiring.

Sei guided us back to the hotel (more “fare fumbles”) and we thanked him for a wonderful tour, despite our feet crying out in pain.

The next day we were back on the Shinkansen to Shizuoka. I had booked a Ryokan in a smaller city to contrast the big city hotel stays. A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. I wanted to experience some traditional Japanese culture away from the frenzy of Tokyo and Osaka. Shizuoka is a smallish city on the way from Hiroshima to Tokyo. We changed trains in Kobe. After arriving at the Shizuoka Station we caught a suburban train to Mochimune, where our hosts from Nihon Iro picked us up.

What a contrast it was! The room was spectacular, unlike the hotel rooms we’d stayed previously. The bedroom was spacious, there was a kitchen and dining area and the bathroom had a large bath.

The receptionist suggested some things to do, so after unpacking we headed down the road via the stony beach. We stopped for an ice cream, before visiting the Mochimune Spa. This had a traditional Japanese Onsen. I’d wanted to try this as this uniquely Japanese experience, but I had read that they usually don’t allow people with tattoos to use the facilities. We tried out luck but was a hard “no” with the attendant gesturing the “no deal” arms crossed sign. On a positive note, the spa fronted onto the fishing harbour which afforded a spectacular view on Mt Fuji. The setting sun painted the mountain majestically with golden light. It was still too early for dinner, and we made our way back to the room, not before stopping to grab some drinks.

We were too tired to go out to find food, so we just had some cup noodles and snacks in the room. I ran the bath, and we soaked in there sipping our drinks.

The next morning, we had breakfast prepared for us in the room. What a treat this was. It was a traditional Japanese breakfast with local produce. This is included wild boar caught in the nearby mountains and locally caught fish.

After breakfast we checked out wishing that we could have stayed another night. But as this was the last day of our JR Pass we had to leave for Tokyo.

Back on the Shinkansen for the hour and a half trip back to hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Our hotel this time was in Shinbashi. It was a fair walk from Shinbashi station, so we decided to catch a taxi straight to the hotel, saving us the task of dragging our cases through the street. The taxi only took 10 minutes and cost 1500 yen ($16.50 AUD) – a good deal I thought, while Jane was frowning. The 1899 Hotel is a small boutique hotel with a tea theme. The room was very modern and continued the tea theme in the décor. Even the toiletries were green tea scented. This completed a clean sweep of hotels in our trip – all were excellent.

We walked into Ginza to explore the designer shops and grabbed dinner in the red light district in Shimbashi.

Our last day in Japan involved hunting for pasalubongs – gifts for people back home. We had an exhaustive list and it exhausted us. We travelled to Shibuya, back to Ginza and Tokyo station and clocked up the biggest step count of the trip. Fed up with Japanese food again, we opted for Italian and had a nice pizza and pasta at a restaurant close to our hotel. We packed our cases and retired early with aching feet. We had to be up early to catch the Narita Express to the airport for a 10am flight.

What a whirlwind trip this was. We crammed quite a lot into the 11 days. All very enjoyable and most fulfilling. We will return to Japan again the future. Next time perhaps hiring a car and exploring the hinterland staying in Ryodans. We both love the people, the culture and the natural beauty of Japan.

Japan 2025 Part 1: Tokyo & Osaka

Published on February 23, 2025March 1, 2025 by JellyfishKing2 Comments

When Green Day (American punk band) announced their Japanese tour dates Jane and I looked at each other and knew we were thinking the same thing. We must see God’s Favourite Band in Japan! We visited Japan in 2018 and loved it so much we’d always said we’ll go back. What better excuse to visit this weird and wonderful land again 7 years later?

Green Day were only performing four concerts in Japan. Two shows in Yokohama, one in Nagoya and one in Osaka. We quickly scanned airfares and saw Singapore airlines had quite reasonable fares to Tokyo (around $800 return). I managed to secure tickets to Green Day’s Osaka concert and we booked the Travel to Tokyo, knowing that we can easily travel by train to Osaka.

We had been to Osaka on the last trip, but only as a day excursion from Kyoto.

Soon after, Green Day announced their Australian tour dates. We were dismayed to see they omitted Perth from the tour. Jane and I looked at each other and said do we dare see them again in Syndey? Yes, we shall. We bought tickets for the Engie Stadium show and booked flights to Sydney immediately arriving home from Japan. I know what you’re thinking – madness. But as an aging band, it might be the last time Green Day embarks on a world tour.

Our fight on Singapore Airlines, via Singapore left at 1am and arrived Singapore 6.20am. We tried to get some sleep on the plane. The flight to Narita (Tokyo) left Singapore 9.20am and arrives 5.00pm. There’s one hour difference between Perth and Japan. Quite a long journey.

Narita airport is quite a way from Tokyo City and the best and fastest way to get into town is riding the Narita Express (NEx) train. This arrives at Tokyo Station which is perfect for our hotel. The Hotel Metropolitan Marunouchi.

Tokyo Station is massive, and it took ages to find the right exit for the hotel. We eventually found the Nihonbashi Exit and the hotel was right outside. It took a little while to learn the reception was on the 27^th floor of the Sapia Building. Our room was on the 28th floor affording spectacular views east over the Shinkansen rail lines.

The room was small, but that’s expected of Japanese hotels. It was very clean (again expected) and modern. It was a challenge to find a resting spots for out two large suitcases. One the bed lay two sets of pyjamas – so civilised!

As it was only around 8pm, so we ventured outside to find somewhere to eat. It was bitterly cold (around 2 deg C) and we found ourselves back in the train station where there was plenty of eating options and much warmer! We had our first beer and Ramen for the trip. After a long and tiring day we were able to relax – it was good to be back in Japan.

The priority of the next day was to validate our JR Pass. I had bought this online via Klook. Buying the pass before you travel was a strong recommendation from all sources. As the previous night navigating our way around Tokyo Station proved frustrating. Even with the many information maps posted around the station it was still hard to get your bearings. We eventually found the JR Pass office and a nice attendant talked us through the process. She also booked our Shinkansen tickets for Osaka and Hiroshima trips – easy!

We settled in and had lunch at a nearby restaurant still in the station.

We decided that we can’t spend all our trip inside the Tokyo station, so we ventured out to visit some touristy spots. First stop was Harajuku. We walked down Takeshita Street which was much less crowded than when we visited in 2018. We ended up in the usually shaped building which seems to have no name, where Jane was on the hunt for Matcha ice cream. We found it in the food court on the 5^th floor. I ordered a black sesame ice cream, and we ate it on the terrace outside in the freezing cold like proper tourists.

We strolled around Harajuku and into the Yoyogi Park until our feet started to hurt. We decided head to Shinjuku for a rest (drink). We had a walking food tour booked, so we thought we’d better find the meeting place, then have a drink somewhere near and rest of feet. There were plenty of bars in the vicinity, but they all opened later in the evening. We settled for a restaurant that was promoting their “happy hour”. We ordered a couple of drinks and noticed the menu says we still had to order at least one food dish. With our food tour coming up we didn’t need full stomachs. We ordered some Sashimi, nonetheless. Jane struck up a conversation (in broken English) with a group of four Japanese gentlemen eating and drinking next to us. Jane was asking them about their food and the next thing they plonked one of their croquettes on Jane’s plate. We clinked our glasses and shouted Kanpai!

The walking food tour kicked off at 5.30 outside a Starbucks close to Shinjuku station. We were promised 13 dishes from four different restaurants in the area. We walked through the famous Izakaya alleyway Omoide Yokocho. This looked great and I was looking forward to sampling something from one of the tiny restaurants. But we emerged out the other side with empty stomachs. We proceeded onwards to four different restaurants with the guide, Shingo explained the dishes and their origins. There were quite a few drinks included too, which I didn’t expect. Sake tasters were the go for the first venue. The last venue was dessert, Taiyaki, which is like a custard filled waffle in the shape of a fish.

The food did all taste great and was plentiful. The other people on the tour were friendly and interesting, including a couple from Uruguay. I would describe the tour as “good”, as the food was nothing new to Jane and I. Shingo was nice and seemed knowledgeable about the food and its origins. I suspect the tour was aimed at first-time Japan tourists with little exposure to Japanese cuisine. I guess Jane and I are blessed with so many good Japanese restaurants in Perth.

Off to Osaka tomorrow!

We checked out early and made our way back into Tokyo Station to find our Shinkansen line and have breakfast. The JR Pass agent recommended a place to buy a bento box for the journey, but we couldn’t find it despite having a station map with her directions. We settled for some snacks from a convenience store. The train left on time (of course) and we were zooming through the Japanese countryside in no time. The JR Pass agent booked us seats on the right side of the train, so we’d have a great view passing Mt Fuji. The mountain really is spectacular.

We arrived at Shin-Osaka station three hours later and made our way to Osaka Station via a short train ride. We were shocked to find that Osaka station was even more complicated than Tokyo station. First there’s two “terminals” one for JR lines and the other for private lines. Our JR Pass allowed us free travel on the JR lines only. Knowing which was which was challenging. Secondly the station has two names – Osaka station and Umeda Station. If you didn’t know that it made it difficult to navigate as Osaka station sometimes didn’t appear on the map.

Getting to our hotel, however, proved easier than first thought. The Rihga Royal Hotel has a free shuttle bus from the station to the hotel. Once we found that, things became a lot easier.

The Rihga Royal is not located in a tourist area and not close to any train stations. I guess that’s the reason they run the shuttle buses. We checked in and found that the hotel is much grander than we expected. The room was very nice – again quite small.

We ventured back out to Osaka station via the shuttle and made our way to Dotonbori area. We’d been there before and knew there was plenty to see and eat and drink.

We woke late and decided to walk around the area around the hotel and find somewhere for breakfast. We found a lovely little restaurant called Yorozuan opposite the Nakanoshima Museum of Art. The staff didn’t speak much English but were very friendly and we somehow ended up with a delicious meal.

We decided to pay a visit to the museum too. There were two exhibitions. We decide on the “Space In-Between: Shizuko Yoshikawa and Josef Müller-Brockmann”. Shizoku specialised in painting colourful crosses and Josef, her husband designed advertising posters. Perhaps the other exhibition might have been more interesting.

Back to the Hotel to freshen up and get ready for the big concert. As we’d bought the tickets “internationally” we had to exchange a voucher at the venue – 30 minutes before the gates opened. We decided to get there quite early and scope the place out. Osaka-Jo Hall is right next to Osaka Castle so we could also catch a glimpse of it. We had an early dinner at a restaurant near the hall that specialised in Katsu Curry. The box office opened, and we procured our tickets easing my anxiety. We joined (pushed in) the massive line for merchandise and bought a couple of sweatshirts. We wore them straight away and it was a very cold day.

The concert was fantastic as expected. A Japanese punk bank, “Aburina Town” opened. A trio of girls gave a high energy and fun performance. Lyrics all in Japanese, but very enjoyable. Green Day came on stage at 7.30 on the dot and opened with “The American Dream is Killing Me”. They went on to play all of the Dookie album with a few later hits thrown in. They then went into American Idiot, playing most of the album. They finished at 9.30 on the dot and we couldn’t help thinking that they were strictly confined to that window. The last song was “Good Riddance”. The highlight for me was “Jesus of Suburbia”. There was less chit chat than previous concerts we’ve been to and very little swearing from Billie Joe. It will be interesting to compare this with the Sydney show next week. I suspect it will be longer and much more swearing. We got the train home with Jane constantly singing “… I am one of those melodramatic fools…”.

We had nothing planned for the next day, so we decided to go shopping downtown. It was Sunday and most of Osaka had the same idea. The place was packed. We found some respite in the basement of Daimaru, where we found a little bar. Jane had their Sake taster set and I had a couple of Japanese beers and a Okinawa Gin and tonic. We headed back to Dotonbori and had the famous Takoyaki on the street. That certainly hit the spot on a cold night. On the way home we found a nice-looking pub and topped up with a very amateurish pizza. You can’t win them all.

Tomorrow we’re off to Hiroshima.

Japan 2025 Part 2: Hiroshima & Shizuoka

Christmas in Bali 2024

Published on January 4, 2025January 4, 2025 by JellyfishKingLeave a comment

Christmas 2024 is going to be a little different.

We usually have a family lunch with the whole family in attendance. Due to growing family size and various commitments its getting harder to arrange one big event. Mum is in an aged care home. Dad is recovering from stomach surgery. So, it’s more feasible to split the group into smaller festivities.

We decided to have a Family holiday in Bali over Christmas and New Year 2024.

My three sons, Mitchell, Anthony, Aidan and his wife Ena joined Jane and I, Bettina and Bianca. The girls’ boyfriends Aonghas (pronounced like Angus) and Aaron also joined making a party of ten.

We all arrived on Christmas Eve and stayed for various lengths. Jane and I (and Bettina and Aonghas) stayed 8 nights, leaving on New Year’s Day. Mitchell was there for five nights, Bianca and Aaron six, while Aidan, Ena and Anthony stayed nine.

We booked Villa Naga Maya in Legian for eight nights. The villa consisted of three buildings surrounding a decent sized pool. The Villa complex had a total of five bedrooms which meant Anthony and Mitchell shared a room. The villa manager added a bed to their bedroom.

Aidan, Ena. Mitchell and Anthony had an early flight and arrived around 8am. The villa management was kind enough to let them check-in as soon as they got there. This was such a useful bonus. No hotels would dream of letting guests check-in that early.

The Villa was quite nice, although a little old showing signs of aging. The pool was big enough for the boys to flex their muscles. The rooms were spacious and clean. They were serviced everyday. The WiFi was quite fast, but struggled to reach the top floors. The shower in Jane and my room was ok, but the others complained the water pressure was not good enough for a good shower. The location was ideal. The best thing about the Villa was the manager Ita. She was attentive and bent over backwards to help us. Allowing early check-in and late check out was very handy.

Jane, Bettina, Aonghas and I arrived about 8.30pm and Bianca and Aaron a couple of hours later. Once we were all there, we went out for the customary Nasi Goreng and Bintang. Sugar Ray’s Bar and Restaurant was the closest so we went there. We had been to Sugar Rays in 2019, to celebrate my sister’s birthday.

Most of the group were tired from the early flight so we retired straight after. Also the next day was Christmas Day!

We woke late and eventually assembled in one of the villas for secret santa gifting. The rules this year was to buy your secret santa an “outfit”. What type of outfit was left to your imagination. As you can see below, some people’s imagination were working overtime. All agreed that Anthony as the “Second Helping” was the winner.

Most of the following days were taken up by Breakfast, Swimming, Napping, Lunch, Drinking, Dinner, Sleeping.

There were some noticeable highlights:

Karaoke:

The girls wanted a Karaoke night and found a place in Kuta: Zero4. As we were yet to have dinner we looked around for a restaurant. Next door was Nasi Tempong Indra. It was huge and packed. We went inside and were shown to a table. We quickly noticed there were no other foreign patrons. This place was for locals, and furthermore was Halal. There were a few frowns when Aidan walked in with an open Bintang. Bettina, Aonghas and Jane decided not to eat there, announcing that we’re all going to contract Bali Belly! A prediction that proved correct, although its unlikely this was the source of the BB. The food was very cheap and quite tasty. It was served with a killer chili sauce that none of us could handle. Looking around, the locals were lapping it up like it was ketchup.

We finished up and went next door to exercise the vocal chords. Everyone took a turn brutalising classic pop songs. It was all good fun with memorable performances:

Aonghas and Anthony: Waka Waka (This Time for Africa): Shakira
Aonghas and Aaron: Hips Don’t Lie: Shakira
Bianca and Bettina: We Are The World

After an hour Mitchell and I couldn’t stand it any longer and headed for home. Mitchell picked up a Martabak Manis from a little stall across the road. The others stayed another hour, but took videos of there performances so Mitchell and I got enjoy it later.

Bali Belly paid a visit:

In my 20 plus visits to Bali I’ve never had the dreaded Bali Belly. Most of our group suffered. I got it on the fourth day. After a night at a Greek Restaurant, Santorini (Seminyak) I felt a little sick. I vomited twice on the walk back to the Villa. I proceeded to poo and spew the whole night. I must point out that Santorini were in no way to blame for the Bali Belly. We couldn’t pin-point the root cause. It seems most likely that the heavy rain in Bali was a factor. As I said we all contracted it, but at different times. For all of us it only lasted 1-2 days and we “worked around” it. Mitchell organised a white water rafting tour, but has to cancel due to insufficient healthy participants.

Four laps:

Aaron was a late addition to the touring party and didn’t make it on the the group chat member list. We joked that he has to “pay the admission fee” which we hastily decided that it was to complete four laps of the pool – underwater. It seemed like an impossible feat, but we continues to goad him into it. Aaron is a fit and competitive guy and took up the challenge – and completed it! Welcome to the chat Aaron.

Boxing Day:

For me Boxing Day is always “Cricket Day”. The traditional MCG test match always starts in 26 December. Starting at 7.30am Bali time, we were up early to Sugar Rays for breakfast. Nineteen year old Sam Konstas was making his debut for Australia which added extra interest. And what a debut! The young man came out all guns blazing targeting world’s current number one bower, Jasprit Bumrah. Konstas hit the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground for a very well made 70 runs. The debut will go down as one of the most exciting in history. The afternoon session as spent in another sports bar Winx. Jane loved the Nasi Goreng there. I wont bore you with too much more cricket, but Australia went on to win the match, going 2-1 up in the series.

New Years Eve:

New year’s Eve is also Jane’s Birthday. She had booked Chez Gado Gado for dinner. It was a nice 15 min walk from our Villa. The plan was to eat there and walk back down the beach watching the fireworks until the midnight countdown. Shortly after we sat down the heavens opened up and it poured. We were hoping the rain wouldn’t put dampener on the celebrations. The staff at Chez Gado Gado was very efficient. We finished at about 9pm, and the rain stopped as well. We made our way back down the beach until we found a free space. Anthony was keen to try the fireworks he’d bought earlier in the day. As fireworks are illegal to own in Australia, this was new and exciting for all of us. After watching some other “experts” on the beach got all the training we needed and it was time to fly. Anthony bought three small and one big roman candle. Each fired eight rockets. It was quite spectacular!

We got back level with our villa as it was still only 10pm. We decided to go back to the Villa for a swim, but come back to the beach for the countdown to midnight.

At 11.30 Anthony Jane and I trekked back to the beach. The other’s were too tired. I’m glad we went. The fireworks were massive! They filled the sky constant – loud – bright. I’d never seen so many explosions in my life. The video below does not do it justice.

Happy New Year everyone!