Japan loves animals. Japan also loves Christmas. I have found it very interesting that many displays show animals I (personally) have never associated with Christmas (until now). I have seen many elephants, lions, and even these giraffes sporting adorable little Santa hats. I hope you, your family, and friends have a very Merry Christmas.
Aka Monkey Mountain.
For today’s lunch (in Nagasaki) we stopped into Tia to try their freshly prepared lunch box. The meal cost 700 yen (approximately $5.87) and included hot tea, miso soup, rice, desert, coffee, and a 5 dish main coarse. My favorite was the pork cutlet. The coating was crispy and the glaze was delicious. Chandra really enjoyed the miso soup. The brown rice was fluffy and perfectly seasoned. The smoked daikon was interesting to say the least. Most likely it is an acquired taste. The cheesecake was soft and moist. I wished there was more of it. The lunch box from Tia was yummy and affordable*. Try it if you are in the neighborhood. In addition to the lunch box, they also do a lunch or dinner buffet and breakfast.
*Chandra Notes that they also focus on local, organic ingredients – they have photos of where they get everything from greens to teacups in a book on their tables!
While waiting on a railway platform in Narita, Japan, I spotted this poster. Wanted Dead or Alive: Fugitive Pigeon. My mind flooded with ideas as to what terrible crimes this bird must have committed to earn himself a spot on this post. What did it steal? Who did it murder? Whose car did it poop on? This pigeon was bad news. I searched high and low those 5 minutes on the platform to no avail. Sure there were pigeons, but no trace of the criminal mastermind. He had escaped. Will he reform? Or continue to travel down the dark path he set out on?
The actual translation is something along the lines of “watch out for pigeon droppings. Be careful where you put your garbage.” There is no pigeon criminal out there. Is there?
We departed Los Angeles on Singapore Airlines headed for Tokyo on December 3rd. The staff was exceptionally kind and friendly. The female flight attendants wore dresses with beautiful patterns on them and the men wore suits. The seats were spacious for being 10 across in the economy class. Each had their own footrest and TV screen. The international selection of shows, music, and movies was vast and recent. We each watched 4 movies. The meals served were large and delicious. I have never eaten so much on a plane in my life. We ate two meals and numerous drinks and snacks were offered. I really enjoyed flying with Singapore Airlines and would highly recommend using them next time you plan on traveling to any of the countries they visit.
On November 29th, we had the opportunity to attend the 40th annual Texas Renaissance Festival. The only point of reference pertaining to renaissance festivals I have is King Richard’s Fair back home (which I last attended more than 20 years ago). I did not really know what to expect. The traffic on the way to the fest was beyond brutal. It took 3 hours to do a 1 hour trip. We almost turned around but were meeting friends there. Upon our arrival we were greeted by all manner of man and beast. The festival is not just about the Renaissance, it is history and fantasy mixed with sci-fi meeting each other in a wooded Texas backdrop. Scantily clad barbarians, pirates, jesters, knights, a Scottish clan, demons, thespians, hipsters, super heroes, musicians, timelords, satyrs, centaurs, animals, and at least one naughty Santa were amongst the thousands of staff and visitors at the festival. It was quite a sight to behold. One of Chandra’s family friends has been working the TRF for approximately the last 6 years. We met him at the shop he was working at and he later took us for a behind-the-scenes look of Renaissance Festival life. This was most hospitable and definitely cool. It was a long day filled with mead and whimsy. I recommend visiting at least once, but get there early (or come from the North) to avoid the traffic. Chandra says the chocolate covered cheesecake-on-a-stick is to die for.
Today we went to our appointment in New York City to apply for our tourist visas to India. We encountered some minor snags, but everything worked out for the best. As a result of this experience, we have compiled helpful tips for those interested in applying for a visa to India.
I hope this list was helpful.
Safe Travels,
Matt
Mount Monadnock, in Jaffrey New Hampshire, is one of the most hiked mountains in New England for three good good reasons; 1) it is pretty easy to get to the mountain from Boston 2) the hike is very do-able as a day hike for lots of different skill levels, and 3) the views are inspiring.
The above photo is from a hike in early October, which is definitely the time to go if you want to see the autumn foliage. I can also strongly recommend a hike in July if you want to eat wild blueberries while on the trail.
My friends and I strongly recommend hiking up the Spellman trail. It is has the steepest terrain on the mountain, which keeps away the crowds. Part of the trail has some exposed rocky areas that provide some of Monadnock’s best scenic vistas.
If you’re planning a hike there are a few things to make sure you bring: shoes with good traction, water, some layers for the summit (especially in the windy fall), and a camera to capture the views. Access to the mountain via the park is $5 a person, which also covers parking.
Chunky’s is a small chain of movie theater restaurants. We visited Chunky’s in Nashua, NH a couple months back. The chairs are made from old Lincoln Town Car seats. The tickets are inexpensive and the atmosphere is fun. We split a bottle of wine and an appetizer combo. It is a fun spot to see a film and grab a bite and a drink. What I did not like was the staff coming by to check on things during the movie. Also there was only one, ONE, mozzarella stick in the whole entire combo. It has an odd setup that could be done better. I recommend going there at least once if you want a meal or glass of wine with your movie. Also we saw the new Ninja Turtles Movie. I’d rate Chunk’s a B and the new Teenage Ninja Turtles movie a B+. Sorry for the long break. More content coming soon…
Appetizer Combo from Chunky’s
the mint tea drinkers society 