alexhughey

[alexhughey]

Phase 2 of Rice Farming with Mr. Oikawa!

*Junko and I leave the office at 8:30am to go to Kamigo to Mr. Oikawa’s house for more rice farming. Remember last time, I learned how to seed the rice and the sprouting process! Today I was going to be able to watch them plant the rice! I was expecting a hard job and muddy job, but it was different than I even imagined! *We were warmly greeted again as usual by him, his wife, brother in law, and sister. Plus 2 more people who own the planting machine which they rent for the rice planting! They were already halfway done when we arrived, but the machine (pictured above) did all the work! All we had to do was load the rice blocks onto the machine! It was a quick process. After we finished one of the fields, Mr. Oikawa’s wife had a large snack and tea time prepared for everyone outside on their patio. There was steamed buns, coffee, tea, mandarin juice, dried sweet potatoes, jello, etc! So much. I didn't eat much for breakfast but luckily this made up for that! We sat there and chatted with the ladies for a while and the men went back to plant the other field across the road. *We eventually went and watched that one too. After the second and largest field was finished, we went back for a second tea time. Japanese people are so friendly. I never get tired of their endless hospitality, everywhere you go! This time we had a potluck style meal with our tea! Potatoes, radishes, carrots, tofu, etc. on a large plate. There were also rice wrapped in sweet tofu which I have grown to love! After about another hour of talking with them, they invited us to stay for lunch!

*For lunch, his wife made homemade sweet soba noodles and I dipped it in wasabi for extra flavor. Soba is actually my least favorite noodle in Japan, but of course I ate it to be polite. There were a couple other random sides which I tried but still don't know what they were! Overall such a fun day with their lovely family!

[alexhughey]

This photo represents the feeling of getting eaten alive- which is how I felt the next 3 days!

*So I arrive at the Bali airport and make my way through security to get my boarding pass. When I arrive to the checkin gate, everyone was just standing around, not in line. I stood around with them, wondering what was going on. Eventually, a man came and pulled me to the check in desk and asked for my flight details and passport. I was so confused at this point. Then the lady hands me a flight delay sheet. I was panicking because the flight delay was 7 hours and it was midnight and the Bali airport closes overnight so sleeping there is not an option! They printed my boarding pass for the 8am flight the next morning. Luckily, I pitched a huge crybaby foreigner fit and they put me up in a hotel free for the night. Even though I only was going to get less than 4 hours of sleep, I at least felt safe!

*A bus took me to a hotel, about 10 minutes from the airport and it was a super fancy hotel! They had all my information ready so they just handed me the key. I did not even change clothes in my room, just went straight to sleep since it was 2am and I had to be back at the stop stop by 4:30am. I wasn't complaining though because I was safe and it was free. Better than sleeping on the sidewalk outside the airport which is what I thought I was going to have to do!

*So 4 am rolls around and my alarm mine as well of shot me, thats how exhausted I was and didn't want to wake up. I headed downstairs for the continental breakfast they had prepared me and it was good. I had cereal, bacon and eggs. And coffee! After, I went to the bus and it took me back to the airport, arriving by 5am. I headed straight for my check in gate, got my boarding pass stamped, and made my way through security. All that took about an hour. Then I grabbed a coffee to go from a coffee shop and headed to my gate to be ready to board. They were extremely unorganized so I was a nervous wreck to miss that flight to Shanghai, China! 

*By 8am, I was boarded and we were pulling out on time! The flight was smooth to Shanghai but I dreaded the no wifi part! Luckily, I was able to tell mom and friends about the long delay. So anyways, I get to Shanghai, knowing that I missed my connecting flight, I was panicking because being stuck in China wasn't at the top of my list! I get in line and cant understand most anything they tell me other than “come here at 5pm for plane.” So, I had all day in the Shanghai airport to chill and grab lunch and get through security. It was surprisingly not awful, but for some reason I was nervous all day.

*I showed up to the check in counter early and they went ahead and gave me my boarding pass. I headed straight for the gate- didn't waste any more time. I was in a time crunch because the overnight bus was leaving Tokyo at 11pm headed to Tono, and I already paid for that nonrefundable and nonchangable ticket which was $105. Wellllllll, my luck stinks. We arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 10pm. I google mapped Ueno Station which was my bus pickup location and it was 45 minutes away. At this point, I knew I was going to miss the bus because of immigration process as a foreigner with a VISA and baggage claim! So, I mosied along taking my time. Good thing I didn't rush because I ended up not getting to the train station ready to head to Ueno until 11:30pm!

*So I buy a ticket on the last subway out of the airport at 11:30! Lucky me. The ride was about 50 minutes and once I arrived I literally googled “cheap hotels near me.” Ueno Terminal Hotel popped up and that seemed to be the cheapest I was going to find in this nicer area! I google mapped it and started the 30 minute walk to the hotel. Praying they had availability since I could not read the website! I found it pretty easily since it was near the huge train station. I go in and of course the front desk man doesn't speak english- so. Google translate helped me to get a room! I got the key and understood that checkout was at 10am. I said cool thanks goodnight. I was so frustrated with the past 24+ hours of traveling and frustrated that I was having to spend the extra money. I was also exhausted!!

*My room was decent for an overnight pitstop. Cant really complain! I hardly slept at all though. I don't know why since I was so tired! So I was up and awake by 8am and decided to go ahead and check out and catch an earlier shinkonsin ride back to Tono. I checked out and headed back to Ueno Station! I bought my shinkonsin ticket ($150) and had 2 hours to spare until the train arrived. I was hungry so breakfast it was. I went to the hard rock cafe which served an amazing breakfast actually! That took about an hour. Then I went into my favorite Andersen’s Bread Shop and bought my favorite chocolate muffins for lunch, since I knew I would be on the train for the next 5 hours. I went to my train gate and sat there to wait on it!

*The train arrived on time (as always) and I was able to get a decent window seat, despite the train being packed! I arrived in Tono by 5pm and was home by 6pm. Boy was I dreading work the next morning at 8am. I was so dead tired. Glad to be home! This shambley travel experience put a damper on the trip, but overall I still had a blast. I just ended up wasting a $105 bus ticket bc of the delay of flights, spent money on food, hotel, and $150 train ticket! So that was a bit upsetting but I cant complain!

Bali was great but back to reality I go!

[alexhughey]

My final day in Bali!

My last day in Bali I had decided to take the resorts free taxi back into town for one last shopping visit. I woke up super early for some reason, 6am. I decided to lay around until I could go get breakfast at 7am. I went to get breakfast and had a nice breakfast alone, talking to Keefe on Skype. I missed Charity but it felt nice to have some space on my own! I had the Balinese breakfast one final time since it was my final breakfast there! I went downstairs and scheduled airport transfer for 9pm. My flight was scheduled for 1am.

*After breakfast, I got into my bathing suit and headed out to the pool. I was out there before the sun was even peaked. I laid there anyways, soaking up the last morning. After the pool, I went to my room and threw my dress on to head into town at 11am. Karen was joining me! I scheduled a foot flexology for 3pm so that was the time I needed to be back! My massage felt so good and others from the group had had the foot massage so I felt inclined to sign up! That gave me from 11am-2:30pm to explore the town!

*Little did I know that Karen had matched with a man on tinder and planned a meet up with him. I didn't mind, I just thought it was funny because who knows if he is crazy or not! (But that is how Keefe and I met so I have no room to talk!) hahah. So we get into town and start walking the strip shopping. I was looking for my dad a gift and myself a very specific ring. I had no luck with either! I ended up buying dad some Balinese Ice pops! I am excited for him to try!

*We finally met up with the guy, named Jason, I think is what I remember. We got cheap avocado shakes on the way to lunch. Pictured above. He was hungry and so were we so we decided to find somewhere for lunch. He picked a random place on the street, which was fine with us. By this point in the day it was already 2pm so I was having to rush to get my food and head back to the shuttle stop! I needed up having to pay and get my food to go before they even ordered. That was a bummer. Karen made plans to stay longer and I scheduled the foot massage. I kind of wish I had stayed in town with them, but the foot massage was great so its ok!

*So I basically had to run two miles with my takeout order in hand to catch the shuttle back to the resort. Once I arrived, I quickly at my to-go salad and headed to the massage building at the resort. They were prepared for me at the massage place. It was 1 hour. I laid down on the table with only my feet hanging off the bed. She came in and began. It was wonderful. She used fragrant oils and it was just hard enough not to hurt but to feel good. She also massaged up to my knees towards the end. I was so relaxed that I felt like I had new feet after that! Well worth my last “splurge” of vacation (even though it only costed $15).

*After the foot massage, I went back to my room and started gathering my belongings and packing. I was so sad to be leaving paradise in just a few hours. After an hour of packing and cleaning up our room, I went out to the pool with Sharon and Karen for the poolside tea and snacks. They are delicious! Cakes and balinese snacks. Coffee and tea! I went back to my room and took another nice bubble bath after this. It was about 5pm at this point!

Around 7pm, the 3 of us left at the resort headed to dinner together! The last dinner for all 3 of us, except they were leaving tomorrow. I was not super hungry but so I ordered a light soup and chicken dish. It was good! Sharon ordered a chocolate dessert as a going away dessert. Those girls are so sweet! I miss them a lot already and its barely been a month!! God is so amazing and faithful to put people in my life randomly like this trip.

*After dinner, I grabbed my bags and told everyone bye. I paid my bill and bought a souvenir ring for myself. I sat there at the front and chatted with the owner of the resort while I was waiting on my airport transfer. He offered my 20% off if I come back with friends as a repeating guest. How cool is that!? 

We loaded the van and I was off to the airport! Dreading the layovers in China and worried about not having wifi but I was determined to make the best of it!

Next blog: Airport troublesssss. :( xoxo

[alexhughey]

Thursday and Charity’s final day in paradise! 

*We woke up with no agenda, but around 7am. We went to breakfast and ate a feast since it was her last one! I was sad for her to be leaving. We had so much fun together all week, but it was short lived! 4.5 days is all. She arrived a day sooner than me and I was staying a lay after her. That is just how we found the cheapest flights!

*After breakfast, we laid by the pool and just enjoyed the beautiful day. At lunchtime, we called Taco Casa to order delivery burritos! We had been craving it ever since Kristi’s birthday lunch there. When it arrived, it was just as good as it was in the restaurant. We again, ate every single bite! So. Good!!! No wonder that place is packed all day every day. After lunch, she started gathering her stuff for the flight home. She had to leave the resort at 6pm. Her flight was at 10pm. After packing, we headed back out to the pool to relax. She took a nap laying there and I had poolside tea and snacks around 3pm with Karen. We weren't hungry for dinner because of how filling the burrito was. I helped her gather her things and we went to the front to settle out the bill. She did all the math because the conversion was hard! We pretty much split it 50/50. She also bought her mom and herself some jewelry from the resort, too!

*Afterwards, it was time to say goodbye!! We carried everything and loaded the car for the airport. Karen and Sharon also came to tell her goodbye. What a fun week we had. We hugged goodbye and she was off on her way back to Nashville! She had a long flight journey though. Bali-Australia. Australia-LA. LA-Nashville! totaling 20+ hours. She had drill the next day so I am sure she was jet lagged still and dead tired. 

Bye Charity!

*After she left, I ordered a late night room service of cheese sandwich and french fries! I ate around 9pm before heading to bed. I also took advantage of the huge bubble bathtub and took one! It was relaxing. I listened to Chris Tomlin on Spotify and just laid there. I slept like a baby that night!

Next blog: My final day in Bali.

[alexhughey]

Wednesday evening in Bali-Contunied! 

*Charity and I arranged for the resort driver to take us to the ritzier side of Bali! I had saw the idea on Pinterest prior to the whole vacation. The plan was to go to the rock bar view at Bali’s #1 Resort overlooking the ocean then to Jimbaran Bay to eat seafood on the beach! Man was this a great idea! The ride took about an hour and half to arrive. Once we arrived at the resort, he dropped us off and we found our way to the rock bar. It was packed with people but so worth the visit! The restaurant/bar overlooked the ocean and you could see the waves splashing up underneath you. I don't even have words to describe how cool it was. We took some pictures and walked about the resort for about an hour before our driver was picking us back up! We googled to price to stay at the resort and it was $350 per night and that isn't even ocean view rooms. It was nice and all- but I would rather go on a cruise for that price haha. 

*Next was Jimbaran Bay, a short 30 minute ride away. The driver had already made our dinner reservations and everything for the front row tables on the beach. First we ordered our drinks then we got to go physically pick out our moving seafood which would be grilled and brought to us! We chose a huge crab and 8 large prawns. It was $40 per “dish” so $80 total plus our drinks. Each dish came with rice and vegetables so it was more than enough food for us both! We enjoyed it but I think the grilled prawns were our favorites! We watched the sunset and we got to watch planes land into the sunset. So beautiful. We were the only two friends in sight. It was clearly a romantic place to go! I mean come on, Eating on a nice table, feet in the sand, fabulous seafood, and watching the sunset! Romantic place no doubt! But we enjoyed it a lot! If you ever go to the seafood on the bay thing- I recommend not wearing nice clothes like we did (pictured above). The food is buttery and messy! Like most Asian countries, napkins aren't provided. So either bring a bib and napkins for yourself or don't dress up. We got all messy! Overall though I recommend it! Save your money though. 

*After we finished we walked out to our driver patiently waiting on us! He was so kind. He opened the doors and asked us how it was. The whole staff was so great! Then we were off for another 1.5 hour drive back to the resort! Charity fell asleep instantly but I remained awake to look at the ritzy side of Bali at night. It was cool! Next time I go to Bali, I will save more money and stay on the nicer side for a change! 

*After arriving back at the resort, we showered and hit the hay. We were knocked out by 10pm and even before everyone had finished their dinners upstairs! This was Charities last full day. She leaves tomorrow. 

Thursday was relaxing! Follow on next blog. xoxo

[alexhughey]

Happy Wednesday from Bali! What a gorgeous day it was. Hot but not brutally hot! 

*We started off the day with a cooking class! Sharon was joining us. We had to up up and ready at 7am to go to the market with the chef. Me, Charity, Sharon, the chef, and a resort driver all loaded into a car to head to the local market. He said the best time to go was in the morning when there was more people and more vendors set up for us to see. We thought we would actually be purchasing items at the market for the cooking class, but it was basically just show and tell for us to see what their market is like. The resort buys all of their fresh foods there every single morning at 5am. I thought that was neat!

*The market was kind of gross in our opinions. Not that we were in any way better than those people, but we felt disgusting after walking through. My feet was muddy and there is no telling what all we stepped in throughout. It had a gut wrenching smell. The vendors looked run down and like they haven't showered in ages, etc. I understand that they are used to it and its a whole different lifestyle---buuuuuut, it just wasn't for me. As soon as we got back to the resort, the chef told us to come back at noon to start cooking, all 3 of us quickly changed into swimsuits and jumped in the pool to cool off and to feel not so gross! We had about 4 hours to relax and hangout by the pool before the actual cooking class began. I tanned by the pool for about 2 hours and went back to my room to nap the other two hours! When Charity came in to tell me it was time to go cook, I wasn't ready to get up!

*It took me the first 30 minutes of the class to even wake up! So I drank a banana smoothie and took lots of pictures. We started by chopping a variety of vegetables for a puree sauce that goes on basically everything Balinese food wise. It was great! So that was first. Second, we made a chicken soup, and the broth was that vegetable puree liquid down. It was great too but the meat was fattier than I could handle. Third, we made chicken sate. This is blended chicken and spices. Yes. Blended. Chicken. It made us want to vomit! The smell was awful. After blending, with our hands we molded the blended chicken onto sticks to be grilled. Fourth, we cut up some green vegetables like long beans and added the veggie puree to them and stirfryed them! This was actually my favorite dish we made other than the dessert which was heavenly! Fifth and finally, dessert. Sticky cane sugar rice balls. You take rice flour and warm water to make a dough. Then you boil a pot of water. Then you take a small piece of dough, place a small bit of cane sugar (chocolate, caramel, anything would work), boil it! After the balls rise to the top they are finished. You when take it out with a spoon and roll it in coconut! Finished. Delicious. I cant wait to actually make these at home!!

*After about 2 hours we were finished cooking are starving!! We ate a small breakfast after the market shopping but overall we were ready to eat! They took everything to the back kitchen to finish grilling it for us and then brought it out to our table. Everything turned out so good! I had a hard time eating the chicken in the soup because of all the fat and the chicken sate. The texture freaked me out! Everything else was to die for though! The cooking class was a blast. They gave us a photo and “cooking certificate” also they gave us all the recipes printed out!

*I would highly recommend taking a cooking class in Bali! I heard great things about them all and ours was great. Do it!

Next blog will continue this Wednesday evening!

[alexhughey]

Continuing on with Kristi’s Birthday day, after playing with elephants and having a belly full of chocolate, we load up the cars and head to the next portion of the trip! Bali Elephant Cave. I was not too sure what to expect with this day, but the pictures looked beautiful so I was hopeful! I knew it was some kind of temple.

*Upon arrival, we paid around $4 to get in per person and they had a sarong for everyone to wear if you were wearing shorts or skirts. It was necessary for your whole legs to be covered. Same for if you were wearing a tube top, they would have asked us to cover with their free sarong. At least they knew to have them available for free for guests because many foreigners including myself had no idea! The pink sarongs are pictured above on us. There were shops all around the cave so I was more excited to shop than anything.

*We headed down the stairs and cam upon the temple grounds. It was unlike any Japanese temple that I was used to. The main “attraction” was a large carved stone cave which was what most people were taking photos with. The cave only went inside about 50 meters and that was all. There was an incense lit around a miniature shrine but nothing special. We walked around and became a little bored so Karen, Charity, and I moseyed back out to the shops! It was the annoying hagglers again. But we came across some great deals! I bought an elephant mirror because elephants are significant to them for only $5! The man originally had me trying to buy it for $28. I think I actually haggled him down too far and practically stole it. He seemed disappointed. But Charity and Karen both bought one so that made me feel slightly better. I also bought a couple t-shirts and another random souvenir! By the time we made our rounds of the shops, the rest of the group was finished at the cave. We were bummed to find out that they explored all the way down to the bottom of the cave and came across a food vendor and rice blessing activity. Apparently we didn't explore the temple grounds far enough! But thats ok. We made the best of it. I wouldn't go back to this particular temple, although if you have never been then I think its good to go!

*After loading up and heading out of that area of Bali, we were all starving for lunch! We let Kristi choose since it was her birthday and she chose Taco Casa. Man was I excited. I crave Mexican food 24/7 especially living in Japan where it is literally nonexistent! Apparently it is the same for them in Korea because they were just as excited for the food! The place was packed and had killer reviews online so I was stoked. I ordered a Wet Burrito! It came out quick and was huge. It contains everything Mexican toppings that you can even imagine. Smothered in Cheese dip, salsa, and guacamole. I ate every bite regardless of being so full halfway through that I felt like puking!! It was mouth watering good. Everyone was so satisfied that after we found out that they delivered- we all took a to-go menu with us! They sang happy birthday to Kristi and made her a traditional Mexican dessert. It was cute!

*Next stop was a beautiful waterfall. We were so excited for this final stop on the tour! We pull up and all we see are thousands of concrete steps leading downwards. Everyone had the reaction of “ut-oh!” So we paid our $3 entry fee and headed down. We stopped at multiple stops along the way for photo ops. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Once we all reached the bottom, I gave my phone to a worker and asked him to take as many pictures as possible for us since we would be getting wet. The water was cold but not unbearable! So Sydney (Kristi’s 11 year old daughter) and I were the first two to head towards the fall. The rest of the group followed behind us. We all gathered for group pictures under the falls. Check out my Facebook for photos! They are great shots. The water hurt hitting our shoulders, as it was a long falling waterfall. I had a death grip on Sydney from the current pulling us also. We all played around for a while and then dried off to make the hike back up the mountain of steps! It took everyone a while to get back up but luckily I could tell my endurance was built back up because it was not too challenging for me! I took that moment to recognize how much weight I had lost and how much better of shape I was in!

*After we loaded back up into the vans, we headed back To the resort to dry off and all get ready for Kristi’s birthday dinner. We only had about an hour so we each had to rush! Charity and I took turns showering and getting ready quickly. We headed to dinner and everyone was still a little full from the large burritos we ate just 3 hours earlier! We of course made it work though because we knew we only had a few nights in Bali left. I had the Meigoring which is a traditional Balinese pasta dish. It was actually my least favorite meal of the entire week. But I ate it still! The chef made Kristi a delicious cake and we sang happy birthday to her again and took a big group photo. It was such a fun day, filled with all things that she picked to make her birthday extra special!

*After we all finished dinner and told Kristi goodnight, we headed to bed because the day was packed with fun and adventure, so we were exhausted! Wednesday was a relaxing day for us as well, but it was fun! 

Continued on next blog. xoxo

[alexhughey]

Tuesday, Bali day 3!

*We woke up and actually felt pretty rested for a change! It was nice to get a full nights rest. We had breakfast when they opened at 7am and then headed back to get ready for a full day ahead! This was Kristi’s Birthday! She planned the full day of things she enjoyed since it was her day! Our tour left at 8:30am. Our first stop was the POD chocolate tour. It was a hot hot hot day out and everyone came along from the group! We arrived after about an hour of riding in the car. *We pulled up and got out to let them know we arrived. There was another elephant sanctuary right next door so we could see and hear the animals. I got a lot more great photos! The staff of the tour was very friendly and had chocolate milk freshly waiting on us as a starter. The tour guide was a middle aged man who spoke his native Balinese language, perfect english, and also perfect Japanese. (We had a Japanese couple added into our group,too). He really impressed me with his language skills and knowledge about the chocolate process. I was trying my best to pay attention and I should have taken some notes but here is the process I gathered.

-Cocoa fruit looking things hang from trees producing moist cocoa seeds. (tastes like a bitter fruit)

-They are then picked and decaved, getting all the seeds out of the shell.

-Next, the seeds are left outside to dry out and harden. There were thousands!

-After about a week of drying them out, they put them into a de-shelling machine. It shells them and spits the shells out.

-Next, the crush them into a fine gritty texture.

-Then they melt them. Originally melted seeds are dark chocolate! Adding sugar and substances makes different kinds of chocolates.

-They pour the chocolate onto a table and smooth it out to get it to 29 degrees Celsius.

-Next and final step is molding it into bars or anything you want!

*After the tour, we all sit down together at the table and wait for our chocolates to be delivered. We were able to pick dark or milk chocolate and 3 toppings. Toppings ranged from sprinkles, coconut, rose petals, everything! I chose dark chocolate and coconut, rose petals, and sprinkles as my 3 toppings. The molds were elephant shaped. It was super cute! I filled 16 molds with my chocolate designs. The chocolate then took around 1 hour to harden in the freezer. We went and played with elephants, took photos with them, and I bought some chocolate as souvenirs in the gift shop during this time. It was all around a great tour and I recommend it to others visiting Bali!

Next blog is the second half of the day, stay tuned..xoxo

[alexhughey]

Monday, Day 2 of Bali!!

*So neither Charity nor myself slept hardly any this past night. We were totally bummed that were didn't seem capable of a good nights rest. We planned nothing this day so we just hung around the pool and rested! First thing we did was eat breakfast! I tried another Indonesian breakfast porridge and it was surprisingly good.  I drank water in the town yesterday and it made me sick so I was sick pretty much all week! No one told us the water wasn't drinkable in the country.

*We relaxed and lounged by the pool. It was a hot day and I got a pretty decent tan going, which excited me. We were scheduled at1pm for the traditional Balinese massages, which everyone told us were amazing! Kristi said they were the softest and best thing she has ever tried! We went right after lunch (mistake) and laid down naked on the tables. Two teeny tiny women walked in and we were so excited to relax and get the massage. Little did we know these women were stronger than both of us combined. They bruised us. It hurt so bad. Neither of us said no ease up because we didn't want to look like a whimp, but man. They were brutal!! We ended up laughing about it and compared bruises afterwards. You could see bruises running down my spine. Intense. Never again would I get a balinese massage! 

*After the massage, I got a manicure and pedicure- which was great. They took their time and it was beside the pool so super relaxing. I got yellow toes and bright red fingers. Charity went inside to shower after hers. We had decided to take a cab to downtown Ubud to explore after we got showered and ready! We both put a couple cute outfits on and headed out. We set a pickup time for 2 hours later. That gave us enough time to shop and eat dinner and dessert. We ate at restaurant that looked foreigner friendly. She got mahi mahi and I got zucchini pasta! Both were great. After dinner, we wanted dessert! We walked down the strip looking for somewhere with enticing dessert. We finally found a place that served creme brûlée and of course i said yes to that place! The creme brûlée was Indonesian leaf infused. It tasted much like basil!!! Delish.

*After dessert, as we were walking back to the pickup location, we can into my friend from china!!! Lao!!!! We both screamed out of excitement and I could not believe that we ran into each other downtown Bali. We didn't know where each other was going after departing China. I didn't know she was even going to Indonesia! Small freaking world. We took a photo together then parted ways again! I could not stop freaking out about running into her!!! Thats absolutely crazy.

*We got back in the resort cab and headed back! We were still tired even after our relaxing day so we were ready to hit the hay. I took a shower then crashed for the night and so did she!

Bali Day 3: next!

[alexhughey]

Bali Day 1!!

*So after breakfast we headed back to our rooms to get ready for the exhausting day ahead of us! We dressed cute but casual, as you can see in the photo above. It was extremely hot outside (98 degrees F)! Our first stop was the Sacred Monkey Forrest. Upon arrival, we shopped down the street from where our resort cab let us out at. We got a pretty good idea of the souvenirs we wanted to buy! I bought myself and Lainey a sarong, mom an owl salt shaker, dad some ice pops, my coworkers come coffee and tea, and Keefe some goodies too! It was good to get the shopping out of the way so I wouldn't have to worry about it the rest of the week. They are serious hagglers and I hate that way of shopping, although I am really good at it.

*Monkey forrest costed $40! There was rules posted on boards by the entry such as: no looking them straight in the eye, don't pick them up, let them come to you if they please, no feeding street foods, etc! Monkeys were literally everywhere! I don't understand how they don't leave the area. It wasn't fenced in or enclosed in any way! They seem to be happy monkeys and well fed/played with. So right after we paid, we decided to buy a bunch of bananas to split in hopes that the monkeys would come to us better. (This was before we knew they literally rape people...jump all over you. all day.) So as soon as the man handed me bananas, probably 5 huge monkeys jumped on me. Each shoulder had a monkey on it and my head also. My arms were monkey covered and I had no control over my body at that point. Kind of scary, actually. Their nails were scratching me and they ate all my bananas in like 10 seconds. Bummer!

*Charity didn't have as hard of a time with her bananas. Maybe they liked my long blonde hair- I don't really know! It was intense. We got some really cute and funny pictures out of the experience though. It only took us 1 hour to walk through the monkey park and see thousands of monkeys. We stopped by a smoothie place after the money forrest and got healthy smoothies. Mine was red beet and avocado. Not sweet and it tasted interesting! Kind of good. Afterwards, we headed back to Coco mart to wait on our resort driver to pick us back up! It was about a 15 minute drive from downtown Ubud to our resort. After we got back to the resort, we had about 1 hour to chill! We chose to eat some lunch in that time frame before we were off to the next destination of the day. I had fish and chips for lunch! 

*The driver who picked us up to go to the elephant sanctuary was using us to practice his english. He was so talkative and all we wanted to do was enjoy the views on the one hour drive! We stopped by another resort to pick up a lady and her 2 “helpers.” She was in bad health and screamed money. From her outfit to how she talked about her life in Australia!

*Listening to their conversation passed time quickly though. We arrived and paid out $100 per person entry to the sanctuary. It was a huge elephant park! We got a tour first. The man showed us around. Next, we went on rides! My driver was perverted and I was so uncomfortable the entire elephant ride. He kept calling himself Big J....hoping I would ask why. Needless to say, I minded my own business. I even told him I was born and raised in Japan to leave him confused and so he couldn't get any information on me. My plan didn't work though because he started speaking Japanese to me. -__-. Charity was on the elephant behind me and her driver barely talked at all. Lucky! My elephants name was Ava and she was 8 years old! The workers seemed to really care about them, but at the same time, they hit them really hard with the metal things on their ears while steering them on course. I didn't like seeing them hit the elephants. But the ride overall was long and great views. I was able to take a ton of photos. They even took us in the water with the elephants. 

*After the ride, we got to take individual photos with them by the fences. They did some tricks for us and we fed them! It was neat. The texture of them really freaked me out though. I didn't like touching and being wrapped up around them. We both loved our photos with them overall. Next on the agenda was an all you can eat buffet! It was delicious. It was a meat lovers fantasy land. They had everything you could imagine and it was so fresh. The desserts were not that good, but the fruit was tasty! We got to sit at the side of the outdoor restaurant and watch the elephant show during our meal. This was our pre-dinner. :P.....

*The show was good, but again, I didn't like them hitting the baby elephants, regardless of training them or not! Out last stop for the day was the gift shop, which was over priced so we bought nothing. We went back to the lobby and sat down to wait on the rest of the group before our car could leave. Ended up being over an hour of waiting on them! We were so exhausted and jet lagged and sleep deprived. Thankfully, we still managed to have fun! The hour ride back to the resort was long. Charity slept, like she always does in a moving vehicle, and I sat and looked out the window!

*We didn't have much time before dinner the first night with the whole group. We met everyone that Ms. Kristi worked with at KIS and they were wonderful! It was Shelby's birthday dinner celebration! The resort made her a cake and we sang happy birthday to her! It was sweet. I had a chicken special dish with potatoes and veggies. It was great and the perfect filling for me since we had the buffet as a pre dinner meal! 

*After dinner, we both could barely hold our eyes open. We went back to the room and crashed so hard!! Nothing too special was on the agenda for Monday other than pool and relax day!

Goodnight xoxo

[alexhughey]

Arriving in Bali Continued! 

*After getting off the plane, I waited in line for over 1 hour for immigration. 6 airbus planes landed at once and only 4 immigration officers were working. It was a nightmare. Charity and the driver were telling me to hurry the whole time! Her plane arrived over 24 hours before mine! She stayed at the Bali Airport Hotel and hung out by the pool while waiting on me to arrive! So anyways, I finally get through immigration and head to baggage claim. I wait and wait and wait. My bag never came out onto the carousal. I was so sad thinking they lost my luggage and that I was going to have to wear the same outfit (norts and t-shirt) all week long! After I started walking to the lost baggage counter, I see my luggage sitting off to the side, not even near my carousal. I was so frustrated! Whoever did that needs to be pinched. So I grab my bag and head out the door! I stopped to exchange my yen for IDR on the way out. The exchange rate was low! 

*I meet up with charity and the driver, who have been waiting on me for 2 + hours... -_-... and we head to the resort! It was 3am at this point and we were so tired! She was jet lagged and I was sleep deprived. We were warmly greeted at the resort and quickly checked into our room! The receptionist walked us to the room and explained some quick resort details such as: this is how to turn on the AC, the pool is open until 1am, etc! The stayed up chatting for a few minutes then hit the hay!

*She works in cosmetics at Dillard’s in Murfreesboro so she brought me some super cute makeup bags and samples of a ton of makeup! Can’t wait to try everything out! I brought her a calligraphy pen, Japanese towel set, and some snacks to try out! It was SO nice to catch up and be in the presence of one of my best friends again. I am so fortunate to have made great friends in Tono, but nothing compares to my friends back home! You know I have some amazing friends when they will fly across the world to see me and hang out for a week!!!

*5 am rolls around and we tried sleeping but it was once again hard to come by. Neither of us slept very much since our alarm went off at 7am to go get breakfast. Our first tour was scheduled to start at 9am so we didn't have much sleep time anyways!

Next up: Bali Day 1 <3

[alexhughey]

The day that I had been waiting on most! Beijing- The Great Wall of China!!!

*After barely sleeping at all, my driver picked my up that a friend had arranged for me! He spoke great english and was born and raised in Beijing. I was in the lobby waiting for him at 6 am sharp. I gave them back my hotel room key and happily checked out of that horrid hotel. I even took a picture with the hotel as my background to post on trip advisor to warn other foreigners haha... Anyways, Matthew was my tour guides name. He was so nice. He gave me a great talking tour on the 1.5 hour drive to the Wall from my hotel by the airport. I told him I was hungry because breakfast didn't open for another hour at the hotel.

*We went to a very authentic Chinese Restaurant for breakfast. He ordered me dumplings and porridge, which is what everyone else was eating, too. It was crowded and everyone stared at me during every bite I took! It was interesting. I saw a blue and orange colored dog even. The food was good but there was so much! Luckily, Matthew got me a to-go bag. We took a couple pictures at the restaurant and headed back to the car. He was nervous about car theft in that area so he kept walking out to see the car. That much be common in that area? I don't know. I was a little scared to ask those questions because I didn't want him to take it personally!

*All of the trees are painted with white cement on the bases to stop bugs from ruining them in the city. The air was smoggy, even though it was a sunny day. People drive like crazy people. Police don't roam streets, only come out of their office when someone calls in an emergency. Foreigners are not as welcome as I was expected! All interesting things I was seeing.

*So we arrive at the wall and he makes sure to park close to the guard shack in the parking garage--so again, I was wondering about theft! We go to buy tickets and it was 180 Yuan. Which is like $30. That included parking, cable car ride up, access to the wall, and toboggan sled down. Pretty good deal overall because it was a blast!!! I shopped the street a little bit, but the ladies were driving me crazy haggling prices. I looked at one lady and said, “how dumb do you think I am, I would Never pay $50 for a hat.” YES, You heard that correctly. She wanted $50 for a baseball hat that said Beijing. I laughed and walked away. 

*The cable car ride up took about 15 minutes and was beautiful. It was early morning  and not crowded, so we were able to relax and take our time. We hiked over 4 of the guard shacks, which equaled out to about 2 miles on the wall and 2 miles back!! Straight up and down stairs. My legs were burning more than spending one hour at the gym! He gave me a great history lesson on the wall. I wish I was able to remember more but I was breathing so heavy that I was hardly paying attention hahaha! Tip: Take a bottle of water (don't drink the water in China, only bottled) My pictured turned out incredible that Matthew took of me! He took them on his phone though so I was nervous about getting them from him somehow because of the strict internet policies of China. It ended up taking him a week to get a hold of me through my friend and I downloaded a chat app from China just to be able to save the pictures! Glad I got them though!

*So after the wall, we were exhausted and ready to head back to meet my driver who was going to drive me to the airport. Matthew had to do another Wall tour after me. I don't know how he was going to have the energy. Anyways, We came to the Toboggan sleds and he made me read the rules for it. Go slow, No stopping. Etc. So I get on after he gets a head start and we take off. Boy, those things sure go fast. I tried taking videos and pictures but I had to pay attention to not wreck off the face of the mountain!! It was so fun. I have-not smiled and laughed that hard in a long time! 

*After reaching the bottom, we headed back to the parking garage. Luckily, the car was still there as well as all my luggage! The driver pulled up in a brand spanking new government official car. I felt like royalty. Apparently, it was one of Matthew’s friends who was doing him a favor of dropping me off at the airport! The ride was quiet because the new driver man spoke no english at all. All I understood was “Ne Hao” which is “How are you” in Chinese! After 1.5 hour drive back to the airport, I made it safely and paid for my tour. It costed 600 Yuan which is less than $100. I thanked him and headed inside to find my check in counter.

*By this point, it was around 1pm and I was hungry. I ate my leftover breakfast for lunch and it was great still. I got my boarding pass rather quickly and headed to my gate to sit and wait for my plane at 4pm to Bali! I was exhausted. No sleep for 2 days. Plane rides. Great Wall hiking. Stress of being alone in another country. No wifi. Worried that mom and dad are panicking. ETC! So after I get settled down in a seat by my boarding gate, I asked a Chinese girl sitting next to me if she spoke english. She said yes! I asked her about the wifi and she was able to connect me through her iPhone’s hotspot. (Her name was Lao)! I could not get anything to work on my phone even using her wifi, except AOL mail!!! Who knew that AOL mail would save the day for me in China! 

*I logged in and thankfully I remembered Keefe’s, mom’s, and dad’s email addresses to send them an email saying IM ALIVE! Keefe has his connected to his smart phone so he saw the notification immediately. We were able to chat on there for about an hour before I boarded my flight. He was relieved and apparently everyone who talks to me frequently was freaking out! I had him message everyone and tell them I was OK and explain the wifi situation in China again. It was so cute seeing how worried he and everyone was. It made me feel extra loved. I also made a friend named James from Vietnam! He was headed to Canada for a 3 month internship. His english was amazing. I forgot to get his contact info though, but we wished each other well before we parted ways. I stuck with Lao all the way until we were on the plane! She was going to Bali too but I had no clue the details of her trip because her english was not that great. Just good enough to communicate! We took come super cute photos together as memories!

*After boarding the plane, somehow I lucked out with no one sitting next to me so I was able to crunch up and lay down in the empty seat. The flight was 8 hours to Bali from Beijing! China Eastern Airlines fed us and had great service again. (Still my favorite airline). I actually slept about 5 out of the 8 hours, not solid sleep but better than none! 

*When we landed in Bali, it was raining hard and Charity and the Anulekah driver was there waiting on me.

Next blog: BALI!!!!! 

[alexhughey]

Golden Week 2017:

*I started off by loading the overnight bus in Tono at 9:55pm. It was still cold in Tono so I was ready for warmer weather! I could not sleep at all on the bus, unfortunately. That left me exhausted for the rest of my flying and traveling for the next few following days. I arrived in Tokyo at Ueno Station at 6:30AM. I immediately headed to Keisei Station to catch the train to Narita Airport (1 hour train ride). I ate an Apple and drank a bottle of water that I brought from home on the way because I was so hungry! After arrival at the airport, it was around 8am. My flight was at 11am. I waited around at the check in gate to get my boarding pass. I love getting to those gates early, because they always let me choose my seat. I chose the Window, Emergency Exit. at the Front of the plane! Thats the most legroom on the entire plane, even more than first class...FYI.

*So I finally got my boarding pass in hand and headed to find breakfast! I walked around the airport mall (which is huge) and found a place to sit and relax for a while. I ordered a roast beef sandwich, fries, salad, and a latte! It was surprisingly delicious. I was able to relax for about an hour before I decided to get up to go to my boarding gate! I was boarding gate number 87 which was WAY on the far side of the airport! Once I arrived, I had about 30 minutes to sit and talk to my family and Keefe before boarding. Keep in mind, this is when I warned them about potentially not having wifi in China.... because I had read online that wifi for foreigners was hard to find.

*Boarding the plane, I am so excited to be embarking on my journey to China as my first Solo trip. The flight to Shanghai was 3 hours. We had to get off the plane for an unscheduled layover to go through immigration because the Beijing airport was apparently backed up! Everyone was so frustrated and and that we had to get off with no notice! I made a friend from Tokyo though and she spoke a little English so we stuck together. After about 2 hours, we were through immigration and ready to board the plane to Beijing. China Eastern Airlines might be my favorite airline as far as hospitality and service goes. They were fantastic. We were served a meal for lunch prior to Shanghai and Dinner on the way to Beijing. That saved me money on food! The flight to Beijing was 2 hours. Totaling 5 hours of flying so far. 

*I did not have a chance in Shanghai to check about wifi because we were rushing to get through immigration and back on the plane! But once I got to Beijing, there was no airport wifi. No hotel wifi. No wifi anywhere! I knew that even though I warned everyone about potentially not having wifi, that they would be freaking out because I was in China alone. I wanted to let them know I landed safely. I asked other foreigners that I saw and they could not figure out the wifi situation either. Oh well. I moved on with my business and tried finding my hotel shuttle bus that was supposed to be waiting on me outside the terminal. Well, They weren't. I was so frustrated because everyone that I asked for help was rude and didn't even attempt to help me. So I decided just to go to the taxi stand and ask for help. Thankfully, a man called the hotel and told them to send the shuttle back for me! After 2 hours of standing there, YES, 2 HOURS! I was so mad. Hungry. Upset. A little scared. etc! The shuttle driver and a front desk worker came to get me and were beyond rude. They didn't help me with my luggage. Did not say a word to me the entire 15 minute drive. I cannot figure out why it took them 2 hours to drive 15 minutes with no traffic! 

*We finally arrive to the hotel, Sky House Business Hotel, and check in was horrific. The website said they spoke english and could help foreigners, etc. Nope. Wrong. I had to speak into the young girls google translate app to even get myself checked in. They could not even read the english on my passport to help get me in. It took about an hour! I got into my room and it was small. I expected that though! It was sleepable, but the wifi situation still made me mad! I went straight downstairs to get food from the restaurant and I ordered Kung Pao Chicken. It was great! The best part about my whole stay, actually.

*I ended up not sleeping hardly any and had to be up at 5am to get ready for my driver to pick me up to go to the Great Wall of China! I was exhausted and needed a good nights sleep, but that didn't happen!

Stay tuned for my fun day in Beijing! xoxo

[alexhughey]

Easter in Japan was such a fun day! Keefe came down for the weekend as our final weekend together before his Temporary deployment to Alaska for 3 months. He arrived late Friday evening, plowing 2 deer down on the way. It dented his car and broke his mirror completely off. Bad Luck, huh! But he made it.

Saturday, I had some housework to tend to so we kind of just hung out! We booked our tickets to Osaka in July and planned out that trip, which was fun. We took a drive and talked. Went out for a nice dinner, then hit the hay pretty really for Sunday.

Sunday was Easter!! We both got dressed up nice and color coordinated pretty well. We picked Joceline up and headed to Morioka for church. Church started at 10:30 and we made it just in time! Keefe was a speed racer to get us there in time. Happily to our surprise, we ran into Sachi there!!! It was so nice to see her after she moved to Takazawa. The service was preached in Japanese and the church was packed! The translator sat in front of us and had a pretty large group of english speakers around him so it was hard to hear. I took notes over what I did hear though, so I can study them at least. Better than nothing! After the service, me, Keefe, and Joceline went to a conveyer belt sushi restaurant! We threw down on some sushi! It was delicious! I had a lot of tuna sashimi and prime rib rolls! Delicious! 

After lunch, we went to Eon Mall and walked around. All we bought was ice cream flavored with Matcha! and Joceline bought peanut butter. But it was a fun and relaxing mall stroll. 

After Mall, we went to the second hand store for me to see if the purse I had been wanting for a month was still there. Guess what. It WAS! Keefe told me no to buying it a month ago when me and Allie went there. He should have just said yes since I bought it Sunday ;P... he wasn't thrilled but he said “He is Risen”! What a great Easter prize for myself. This was our last stop before heading back to Tono!

We dropped Joceline off at her apartment and headed home. We were both exhausted so we showered and headed to bed shortly after. He set his alarm and got up to leave at 2am. It was so sad seeing him go. I cried like a baby. I even cried myself to sleep after he walked out my door. 

The next morning I woke up to index cards with notes on them hidden all around my apartment. It made me smile and remember why I love him so much! I know these 3 months will fly by! Prayers appreciated for safe travels to Alaska for him!! xoxo July 6th=HURRY!

[alexhughey]

Rice farming was quiet the experience! I met Junko at the office at 9am last week to head over to Mr. Oikawa’s house. He is the CEO of my company, so I was also looking forward to getting to know him better. We pulled up and there was 4 people working. Mr. Oikawa, his wife, his sister, and his brother in law. They were all dressed in rain proof suits as it was a cold and rainy day in Tono. We got out and they greeted us! 

Junko and I were the only two english speakers, so everything I didn't understand, she translated for me. I mainly took photos and asked lots of questions. 

This is the process:

Wet the rice seeds and lay them out to dry.

Use a sifter board to make rows within the seeds.

Place a thin row of special rice growing soil in a shallow planting pot.

Wet the soil.

Place sifter board on top of soil and release seeds into the rows.

Next, a new layer of the soil goes on top of the seeds, covering it completely.  

^^^That is the process of imbedding the seeds.

After that, you place the seeds in a fertilizer machine. They stay in that machine for 3 days at a consistent temperature. The machine held 120 pots.

After the 3 days, you move the seeds to a covered greenhouse and sit them out. This regulated them to normal life temperature. They stay in there for one month.

After the month, you flip the pots upside down into the field to grow! 

I have only done the first step of imbedding, so stay tuned for further details of planting and harvesting the rice!

The process is so interesting. Mr. Oikawa plants 120 rice pots into his 140x140m field. He said his field is slightly smaller than most peoples! They plant the traditional Japanese way. Apparently, there is more than one way to plant rice.He said the rice production from his field is enough to feed him and his wife, their kids and their families. His sister and brother in law also use the rice. It feeds them year round. The rest of the rice, they sell. They do not profit from selling the rice, he said it is more of a hobby. He said that is how it is for most people as well. Once you have the machines and pots, its a much cheaper process to grow your own rice rather than buy it year round.

After a couple hours of learning and helping, we went inside his home for tea time. His wife had prepared tea and snacks for us, including: dried persimmons, dried sweet potatoes, tangerine jello, and mochi balls. It was a nice chat and I was happy to get to know him better! He is a really great man. It warmed my heart when he told me he wished I could be a Tono resident forever. Tono will always be a second home to me.

[alexhughey]

Day 9: Back in Tono

*After arriving in Tono Sunday morning, we walked back to my apartment in the dreaded snow. It was such a bummer to have been in a tropical atmosphere for a week and come back to snow. My apartment was freezing so we got the heaters going ASAP. It was only 7am and neither of us had slept much so we both opted to sleep more. I woke up around noon and we split the bread I had bought.

*Back to sleep we go. I had to be at work at 4pm so we did not have much time left to nap. We got up around 2pm, he packed his things, and we headed out for lunch together before he headed back to Misawa. We went to Sukiya for lunch which is like a Japanese McDonald’s. It is one of the only drive through fast food restaurants, but its Japanese food. We both ordered beef and rice bowls and had chocolate pudding (which I thought was going to be ice cream) for dessert. He then dropped me off at my work building. We were unsure if we would be able to see each other again or not before he left for his temporary deployment to Alaska or not, so tears were shed. It was pretty heartbreaking. I really believe he is the man God made as my soulmate. We are taking things day by day at this point because long distance for several months will be hard!

*Thankfully, Keefe worked it out to switch his weekend duty so he will get to come down for Easter weekend to spend with me which will definitely be the final time we see each other until July. Then in 22 days, I leave for Indonesia. I will be stopping in Beijing, China for a layover then meeting Charity and some other people in Bali! I will probably never get tired of traveling Asia!

*Lastly, things I learned: Keefe makes a great travel buddy. I am a terrible travel sleeper; I need a bed to sleep good. I love foreign food, more than American food. Keefe loves large hermit crabs and it weirds me out. I sunburn easily now that I have Asian porcelain white skin. Keefe tans easily because of his Native heritage. We will be returning to the Kookoo’s Nest in the future. Kristi is hilarious and also a great travel partner. Sydney is the best shell collector ever. I am a happy girl.

[alexhughey]

Day 8: Ueno Zoo/Cat Café

*We wake up around 8am at the hostel on this Saturday morning. Yuka prepared a breakfast for us. She made a Japanese casserole which consisted of: brown rice, cabbage, hamburger meat, tomatoes, and some other stuff we weren’t sure what it was! Coffee and bread with homemade Jam was also prepared for us. Everything was so good! We wish there was more because it didn't fill us up. We went back upstairs and took turns going downstairs to shower. It was a very Japanese style shower with only a handheld showerhead. After showering, we packed our things and laid back down for about an hour before we had to checkout at 11am. It was a peaceful morning and we were happy to have slept 11 hours!

*Yuka warmly told us goodbye and invited us to stay with her again sometime when we were in Tokyo! We started walking towards the train station. We stopped by a convenient store for coffee to revive us a little more. Our next and final stop was Ueno Station. It took about 20 minutes to arrive. First thing we did was store our luggage in a locker outside the bus stop so that we would not have to carry it all day. It costed only 600yen for the full day. Our next destination was Ramen for lunch! We had been craving it. We walked the streets near the station until we stumbled across one and man, it was good! He got spicy ramen and I got Chili Ramen! Both were incredible and good priced. After lunch, we walked the streets a little more shopping around. Then, we headed to Ueno Park to go to the Zoo! We stopped to take pictures of some statues at nearby museums and of some cherry blossoms. They were in full bloom so that was awesome to see!

*After paying 800 yen a piece to get into the Zoo, we started that adventure. All of the animals were super active and out for the crowd to see. My two favorites were the polar bear and the kangaroos! I think Keefe liked the Tiger, but he had to listen to me sing the Auburn fight song the entire time we were at that exhibit. Haha 

“War Eagle, fly down the field,  Ever to conquer, never to yield.  War Eagle, fearless and true.  Fight on you orange and blue.  Go! Go! Go!  On to vict'ry, strike up the band.  Give 'em hell, give 'em hell,  Stand up and yell, hey!  War Eagle, win for Auburn,  Power of Dixieland! “

*This was overall the best zoo either of us has ever been too. It was large and had a ton of animals to see. We even got to ride the Ueno Monorail through the park! This took us to around 3pm. After the zoo, we walked around the cherry blossom festival. It was packed! Lots of drunk people sitting on blue and green tarps drinking and admiring the cherry blossoms! We ate a cherry blossom flavored rice cakes on a skewer, deep fried crab on a skewer, a banana chocolate almond crepe, and both got a tapioca drink again! This filled us up! It was a good snack and fun time walking around Ueno Park.

*Next, I had been wanting to surprise Keefe by taking him to a cat café since he loves cats. He ended up guessing my surprise though because I gave too easy of hints. We walked to the nearest cat café which was 3 km away in Asakusa. It was rather far actually.  Once we arrived, we took our shoes off and the owner explained the rules. 1 hour=800yen per person. Every 30 minutes over=200yen. Only pet them. No flash photography. No picking them up. I thought the rules were too strict for it to be a small room full of cats. We took the couch and basically just had to let them come to us. We both picked them up for a secret picture but one cat meowed and got me in trouble. So we pretty much sat there cat less. There were several other visitors though and we could tell the café got good business. Not sure why it is considered a café because no beverages were sold. Finally, towards the end, one cat made me its friend and cuddled up by my arm on the couch. Keefe sneezed the whole time and realized he was allergic to those cats. It was a neat experience that I won’t be doing again hahah.

*After leaving the cat café, we headed back to Ueno Station to grab dinner before the overnight bus. We had about 3 hours to spare. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Café! I got a BBQ sandwich and Keefe had a Caesar Salad. Both were tasty. We used the time at dinner to talk about some things together that needed discussed.

*After dinner we went to a bread shop which I love and go to every time I am at this station. I buy the honey infused roll and chocolate muffin. Both are homemade and super rich. After this, we headed to the bus stop. We caught the bus at 10:20pm with no issues. As soon as we got on, I took ZZquil and tried my best to sleep. Neither of us got much sleep. We were sitting in the very font so those are harder to get comfortable in. We arrived at Tono Station at 6:30am.