Monday, August 22, 2005
New Clothes
I've been called a tightwad on many occasions, and many of my friends know how stingy i am about money. My parents and old roommates can tell you about the bright yellow orange armpit stains in my undershirts. The truth was i just couldnt bring myself to throw away a shirt or socks that hadnt fallen apart yet (maybe i was also just a little lazy and didnt wnat to go out and spend money) But I don't think anyone ever told me the joy of buying some new clothes and socks. I had been wearing the same pair of socks at least twice a week, and finally, the japanese kids called me out on it. they didnt have holes yet, but they were basically just colored threads in parallel lines. SO... I went to UNI QLO (think GAP or possibly Old Navy, but not so full of itself that itfeels the need to label the front of every t-shirt with its name and logo (to tell you the truth i've never seen the UNI QLO logo on any shirt))three days ago. I left spending about 50 bucks, but bought two great shirts and 4 pairs of socks. I love them. i want stock in UNI QLO.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Punks and Fuji
Attention... Due to the number of bullsnot smap (sorry, i've been here too long, SPAM) i am getting on this site (is no place sacred?) you must now log in and create a profile to post a comment (its free and realy causes no pain), although i dont think it will matter, the losers will still find a way to post crap.
On to bigger and better. Last week I had the opportunity to climb the tallest mountain in the country. The trek was actually delayed a week due to the fact that we couldnt get bus tickets out to the fifth station. But we could a week ago.
The we is Kiyoe and I. strange how we seem to be doing so many things together ne? We boarded the bus at 750 pm and slept most of the way on the 2 and a half hour drive. With on the bus were mostly foreigners, sleeping and talking about the adventure to come. One guy was actually drinking tall boys of asahi super dry beer. What the heck? Now I'm no expert, but i know that alcohol and high altitude as well as any strenuous exercise don't mix. i dont know if he ever made it to the top. Hehe... it gets better.
(second time to write this part) Fuji is not for everyone. The distance between the fifth station and the summit is over 1400 meters vertical distance. At 3776 meters fuji has caused thousands of altitude sickness cases. The weather patterns are fierce and its not uncommon to have snow while hiking. This being the case, many fail at their attempts. Even so, between 200,000 and 400,000 people climb the mountain each year (yes, depending on the web site, the number changes quite a bit. I have a feeling that this number comes more from sales of walking sticks and food purchases than reaching the top, since we witnesed many failed attempts and no one really counting people)
We reached the 5th staton at 1020, bought our stamped fuji sticks and started our journey around 1030. We started out in the thin wooded area and quickly moved above the timber line. Before we knew it we were almost at the 6th station. The view from these areas were amazing. even though it was dark, the lights of the cities and towns far below gave us the best views of the climb. we trudged on quite a ways, and soon the clouds rolled in. From here on our visibility was literally around ten feet.
Scott's rules for climbing Fuji:
1. Be determined. dont become a wuss halfway and turn around (going down of the ascending trail is not only rude, but very dangerous)
2. Drink water, not beer.
3. Take your time for goodness sake! the mountain will be there all day, pushing yourself too hard will cause altitude sickness and force you to quit
4. Eat food. chocolate. snickers, yum.
5. dont't smoke. sounds like an easy one right? huh, just wait.
6. Make small goals and then congratulate yourself with food. (honestly this is how we made it.
That being said we could often see the large floodlights through the haze, and made it our goal to eat a snack or take a ten minute break when we arrived. Thus we never said 'Its too far to the top', we said 'It's only another 100 meters to the next station!' Climbing in this way had us not even uttering a complaint the entire climb. At the eighth station (actually the 6th eighth station) we stopped for about half an hour to eat a warm bowl of ramen. It was here that we probably came closest to thinking about the possibility of waiting for more than 30 minutes before continuing. Two lareg tour groups both decided to quit. after 4 hours of hiking and only 300 meters vertical distance to go... they gave up because of the weather. chumps.
We march on.
It was cold. And it was windy. and seriously from here on there were bodies strewn along the trail, victims of the altitude and not being smart hikers. Every 10 meters there was someone else moaning or vomiting or sucking down bottled oxygen. I'm sorry folks, but what the hell? like i said, it all came down to common sense.
about an hour and a half later, we reqached the highest point in Japan, the summit of Mt. Fuji. From here we waited (in vain) for the sunrise, drank hot fluids, and i hiked to the post office. yes there is a post office at the top...
Sorry guys, gotta go to work!
To Be continued...
On to bigger and better. Last week I had the opportunity to climb the tallest mountain in the country. The trek was actually delayed a week due to the fact that we couldnt get bus tickets out to the fifth station. But we could a week ago.
The we is Kiyoe and I. strange how we seem to be doing so many things together ne? We boarded the bus at 750 pm and slept most of the way on the 2 and a half hour drive. With on the bus were mostly foreigners, sleeping and talking about the adventure to come. One guy was actually drinking tall boys of asahi super dry beer. What the heck? Now I'm no expert, but i know that alcohol and high altitude as well as any strenuous exercise don't mix. i dont know if he ever made it to the top. Hehe... it gets better.
(second time to write this part) Fuji is not for everyone. The distance between the fifth station and the summit is over 1400 meters vertical distance. At 3776 meters fuji has caused thousands of altitude sickness cases. The weather patterns are fierce and its not uncommon to have snow while hiking. This being the case, many fail at their attempts. Even so, between 200,000 and 400,000 people climb the mountain each year (yes, depending on the web site, the number changes quite a bit. I have a feeling that this number comes more from sales of walking sticks and food purchases than reaching the top, since we witnesed many failed attempts and no one really counting people)
We reached the 5th staton at 1020, bought our stamped fuji sticks and started our journey around 1030. We started out in the thin wooded area and quickly moved above the timber line. Before we knew it we were almost at the 6th station. The view from these areas were amazing. even though it was dark, the lights of the cities and towns far below gave us the best views of the climb. we trudged on quite a ways, and soon the clouds rolled in. From here on our visibility was literally around ten feet.
Scott's rules for climbing Fuji:
1. Be determined. dont become a wuss halfway and turn around (going down of the ascending trail is not only rude, but very dangerous)
2. Drink water, not beer.
3. Take your time for goodness sake! the mountain will be there all day, pushing yourself too hard will cause altitude sickness and force you to quit
4. Eat food. chocolate. snickers, yum.
5. dont't smoke. sounds like an easy one right? huh, just wait.
6. Make small goals and then congratulate yourself with food. (honestly this is how we made it.
That being said we could often see the large floodlights through the haze, and made it our goal to eat a snack or take a ten minute break when we arrived. Thus we never said 'Its too far to the top', we said 'It's only another 100 meters to the next station!' Climbing in this way had us not even uttering a complaint the entire climb. At the eighth station (actually the 6th eighth station) we stopped for about half an hour to eat a warm bowl of ramen. It was here that we probably came closest to thinking about the possibility of waiting for more than 30 minutes before continuing. Two lareg tour groups both decided to quit. after 4 hours of hiking and only 300 meters vertical distance to go... they gave up because of the weather. chumps.
We march on.
It was cold. And it was windy. and seriously from here on there were bodies strewn along the trail, victims of the altitude and not being smart hikers. Every 10 meters there was someone else moaning or vomiting or sucking down bottled oxygen. I'm sorry folks, but what the hell? like i said, it all came down to common sense.
about an hour and a half later, we reqached the highest point in Japan, the summit of Mt. Fuji. From here we waited (in vain) for the sunrise, drank hot fluids, and i hiked to the post office. yes there is a post office at the top...
Sorry guys, gotta go to work!
To Be continued...
Thursday, August 11, 2005
A Wise man to climb, A fool To Climb Twice
In approximately 12 hours i will be starting my accent of mount fuji, the tallest in Japan. Its not going to be fun but i feel that its something i must do. Most japanese people have not done this test of endurance and strength, so when its all over, and i still can't speak the language, at least i can state with my head up high that i saw the sun rise in the 'Land where the day begins'. Photos to follow. Ganbatte Ne!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Over a month ago...
Like i said last week, very big posts are on the way. Needed to be included in the mix are my trips to Penang, Malaysia and my trips home, as well as my epic journey slated for this weekend (lets just say that if all goes well i will be the highest man in Japan around 4 in the morning, and one of the first to see the sun in the land of the rising sun) Let me also direct everyones attention to the photo section. OOdles of photos have been added, from malaysia, to nikko, to home, and BBQ by the river. Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out.
It's tough to even remember the exact date anymore, since so much has happened since then, but around June 26th or so I traveled to Penang, Malaysia (the pearl of the Orient) with my old roommate Ben, his girlfriend erica, and two other residents of Bell Wistaria, Jill and Tier.
As I said previously, this whole trip with airfare and accomodation in a five star hotel was less than 400 bucks! And it rocked! We started the first day by traveling the grueling two and a half hours to the airport. (let it be known that i hate having the airport so darn far away) We boarded our boeing 777 malaysia airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur and were off! I will take this second to plug malaysia airlines... Nothing but professonal service, great food, and get this... on demand TV, movies, and an audio jukebox. awesome.
We arrived in KL, changed planes and reached penang around 7 at night. It was pretty smokey outside, but we later found out that it was due to several brushfires in indonesia. During the 70 minute drive to our hotel we listened intently to our japanese tour guide, nodding in approval and understanding even though we couldnt really get a thing he said. When we reached the hotel we knew that the full day of travel had been worth it: An open lobby direct from the street to the beach, palm trees, about 5 pools, tiki torches, and malaysia women serving us drinks as we sat down. yum (once again, check out the hotel Shangri-La golden sands penang). After throwing our things in the room we made the first of many trips to the hawkers food market across the street. Get ready for weight gain and asian food bliss...
A hawker food market is a large collection of stalls that serve a variety of asian dishes. since penang is very close to China, indonesia, vietnam, and thailand, all of these foods are popular. Think the state fair serving up local texas dishes, but now make the food healthier, less greasy, better tasting, and cheaper (at the end of the night i was stuffed to the brim with food, and had boutght a round of drinks for all five of us for less than about 9 bucks total) we ate there every night. hehe he heh.
The next day brought what we weere there for... relaxation. I sunbathed, had a massage, drank, sunbathed again and walked along the beach among the calls of 'hey buddy! do you want to get high? We can get you high parasailing!' before i continue please realize that drug trafficing in malaysia is punishable by death.
On tuesday we ventured out of the resort area to see the largest buddhist temple in malaysia, Kek Lok Si. Its amazing! In the photos look for the tall white pagoda. We were there for almost an hour and i didnt see half of that place! huge, intricate and gorgeous. I recommend to you. After the temple we took a train ride to the highest point in penang, penang hill. We didnt have much time there, but once again, the views from the top were breathtaking. You could see the whole island, and the lush jungle that makes the whole place deep green. On our way back to the hotel I also spied several wild monkeys swinging and walking on the powerlines, AWESOME!!!
Dinner was at the hawker place... again. We also stopped by and bought countless trinkets and goods from the many vendors. I won't say what exactly i bought, but again, it was cheap, and now ive seen several movies that are yet to be mentioned in japan.
Our last day was more of the previous two, we relaxed, ate, shopped, got sunburned. We then left penang and malaysia that night. A great trip, and way cheap. for the three days spent in malaysia i spent less than 200 bucks, food, beer, transport, 2 massages, souvenirs and sightseeing included. I wish i could go back, but i have other asian places to discover.
Thtas it for today. i hope you enjoyed the update. Next time is will talk about my move, and my trip home... Be sure to check out the photos!
It's tough to even remember the exact date anymore, since so much has happened since then, but around June 26th or so I traveled to Penang, Malaysia (the pearl of the Orient) with my old roommate Ben, his girlfriend erica, and two other residents of Bell Wistaria, Jill and Tier.
As I said previously, this whole trip with airfare and accomodation in a five star hotel was less than 400 bucks! And it rocked! We started the first day by traveling the grueling two and a half hours to the airport. (let it be known that i hate having the airport so darn far away) We boarded our boeing 777 malaysia airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur and were off! I will take this second to plug malaysia airlines... Nothing but professonal service, great food, and get this... on demand TV, movies, and an audio jukebox. awesome.
We arrived in KL, changed planes and reached penang around 7 at night. It was pretty smokey outside, but we later found out that it was due to several brushfires in indonesia. During the 70 minute drive to our hotel we listened intently to our japanese tour guide, nodding in approval and understanding even though we couldnt really get a thing he said. When we reached the hotel we knew that the full day of travel had been worth it: An open lobby direct from the street to the beach, palm trees, about 5 pools, tiki torches, and malaysia women serving us drinks as we sat down. yum (once again, check out the hotel Shangri-La golden sands penang). After throwing our things in the room we made the first of many trips to the hawkers food market across the street. Get ready for weight gain and asian food bliss...
A hawker food market is a large collection of stalls that serve a variety of asian dishes. since penang is very close to China, indonesia, vietnam, and thailand, all of these foods are popular. Think the state fair serving up local texas dishes, but now make the food healthier, less greasy, better tasting, and cheaper (at the end of the night i was stuffed to the brim with food, and had boutght a round of drinks for all five of us for less than about 9 bucks total) we ate there every night. hehe he heh.
The next day brought what we weere there for... relaxation. I sunbathed, had a massage, drank, sunbathed again and walked along the beach among the calls of 'hey buddy! do you want to get high? We can get you high parasailing!' before i continue please realize that drug trafficing in malaysia is punishable by death.
On tuesday we ventured out of the resort area to see the largest buddhist temple in malaysia, Kek Lok Si. Its amazing! In the photos look for the tall white pagoda. We were there for almost an hour and i didnt see half of that place! huge, intricate and gorgeous. I recommend to you. After the temple we took a train ride to the highest point in penang, penang hill. We didnt have much time there, but once again, the views from the top were breathtaking. You could see the whole island, and the lush jungle that makes the whole place deep green. On our way back to the hotel I also spied several wild monkeys swinging and walking on the powerlines, AWESOME!!!
Dinner was at the hawker place... again. We also stopped by and bought countless trinkets and goods from the many vendors. I won't say what exactly i bought, but again, it was cheap, and now ive seen several movies that are yet to be mentioned in japan.
Our last day was more of the previous two, we relaxed, ate, shopped, got sunburned. We then left penang and malaysia that night. A great trip, and way cheap. for the three days spent in malaysia i spent less than 200 bucks, food, beer, transport, 2 massages, souvenirs and sightseeing included. I wish i could go back, but i have other asian places to discover.
Thtas it for today. i hope you enjoyed the update. Next time is will talk about my move, and my trip home... Be sure to check out the photos!
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