they are anxiously awaiting your arrival noah!
20 August 2009
this is for you noah
here is an overview of a recent lunch at the mediocre kaitenzushi (sushi go-round) that is just outside the base...
ret's go lamilez!
by far one of the best cultural experiences i've had in japan was this baseball game at the tokyo dome.
tokyo giants v. hiroshima carp...
we had seats in the outfield- the ONLY place worth sitting at a japanese ball game because that's where the action is intense, the fans are dedicated, the band keeps the energy high, and the cheering conductor conducts his little heart out...
feebaa jayantsu... that's the first two words, "fever giants," of the following homerun song written phonetically like they sound when sung in a japanese accent.
there are a couple of points of etiquette that you must observe however- 1) only cheer when your team is up to bat, and 2) don't leave your seat when your team is up to bat.
there's a lot more to learning japanese baseball songs than memorizing one song like "take me out to the ball game." each player has their own catchy tune, there's the song when your team scores, and the fall back is the generic "let's go -insert player's name here-" cheer. except in a japanese accent "let's go" sounds more like "ret's go." that combined with the pitcher's name, ramirez, and you've got an entry for engrish.com. we giggled every time the pitcher came up to bat because "ret's go lamilez!" reverberated throughout the dome.
other interest points were-
the beer keg girls that cruised up and down bleacher steps with kegs on their backs and the fact that not one of them actually had their hat on- just bobby-pinned in front of the pony tail,
curry rice for a game dinner instead of a hotdog,
the cheerleaders dancing to quirky music (much like you probably will be, those sitting around us were tickled by j's singing along to the quirky music),
and the fact that EVERYONE, except us, had giant's paraphenelia in some form.
a fantastic evening that i'm sure we'll repeat often during the next few years' of baseball seasons. hopefully next time we'll represent a bit better with giants jerseys or at least some orange towels to join in the waving and singing fun when they score...
the giants won. word.
tokyo giants v. hiroshima carp...
we had seats in the outfield- the ONLY place worth sitting at a japanese ball game because that's where the action is intense, the fans are dedicated, the band keeps the energy high, and the cheering conductor conducts his little heart out...feebaa jayantsu... that's the first two words, "fever giants," of the following homerun song written phonetically like they sound when sung in a japanese accent.
there are a couple of points of etiquette that you must observe however- 1) only cheer when your team is up to bat, and 2) don't leave your seat when your team is up to bat.
there's a lot more to learning japanese baseball songs than memorizing one song like "take me out to the ball game." each player has their own catchy tune, there's the song when your team scores, and the fall back is the generic "let's go -insert player's name here-" cheer. except in a japanese accent "let's go" sounds more like "ret's go." that combined with the pitcher's name, ramirez, and you've got an entry for engrish.com. we giggled every time the pitcher came up to bat because "ret's go lamilez!" reverberated throughout the dome.
other interest points were-
the beer keg girls that cruised up and down bleacher steps with kegs on their backs and the fact that not one of them actually had their hat on- just bobby-pinned in front of the pony tail,
curry rice for a game dinner instead of a hotdog,
the cheerleaders dancing to quirky music (much like you probably will be, those sitting around us were tickled by j's singing along to the quirky music),and the fact that EVERYONE, except us, had giant's paraphenelia in some form.
a fantastic evening that i'm sure we'll repeat often during the next few years' of baseball seasons. hopefully next time we'll represent a bit better with giants jerseys or at least some orange towels to join in the waving and singing fun when they score...
the giants won. word.
19 August 2009
thigh land
it started out as a favor to a friend in need and turned into a super fun vacation. not as much mango and sticky rice as i had hoped but the thai pancakes with mango helped fill the void. e and i started out on our own in bangkok. after getting worked by a tuk-tuk driver and some crazy pigeon ladies, we enjoyed the grand palace. my choice of clothing wasn't the greatest as the profuse sweating made it look like i peed my pants. i will be merciful and spare you the chauch shot i took of that.
the rest of the trip with thai-speaking j went a bit smoother. sunny skies, super high humidity, insanely choppy seas, and crazy chubby indian tourists who wore pantyhose with shorts and sandals marked the ferry boat ride from phuket to phi phi (pronounced pee pee) island. i only got a little seasick during the last 30 minutes of the ride.
we settled in to our bungalows...
went on a boat tour...
first stop- monkey beach where the monkeys liked pineapple and evidently had itchy bums...
second stop- we played in a sparkling, super salty, gorgeous blue cove...
third stop- some choppy snorkeling in another cove. j jumped off this cliff twice- zoom in, he's at the top in front of the green hut...
fourth stop- we climbed up some bamboo steps on a rock wall and walked to the other side of the island where the movie "the beach" was filmed. sadly, this little cove has been discovered since j visited 5 years ago when it was deserted... it would have been cool if all these crazy tourists weren't there.
fifth stop- a picnic lunch on another island after which e and i enjoyed a post-lunch coma. j enjoyed getting some close up, not-very-attractive proof of my propensity to drool when sleeping. thank you love, i know you're super proud of this shot.
the last stop of the boat tour was great snorkeling in the marine reserve. i held pineapple core in my hand underwater and fish swarmed me... a bit freaky but cool. too bad we had no underwater camera.
the next day we did an impromptu hike up to a viewpoint at the top of the island. contrary to info e got from a friend, it was NOT just a 20 minute run. it was an insanely sweaty, straight uphill walk for a while. it was a pretty view but did i mention it was crazy hot? then we hiked back down a different way through a super steep jungle path and ended up at an empty (finally!) beach. more floating in super salty, gorgeous blue water- this time all by ourselves...
after getting ripped off by a boat taxi on the way back, we had lunch at an open air restaurant on another beach, watched some more chubby indians clip their toenails while they waited for their food at the table next to us, and walked back to the beach in front of our bungalow. when the tide goes out, it goes WAY out...
the favorite establishment for dinner was this hole in the wall place that served delicious, real thai food. the place was complete with peeling paint on the cement walls and a cat that was so hot and loved that it got to sleep in the fridge with the drinks...
the final night on phi phi i made myself stay awake past 8pm for the fire show. and to e and j's credit, it was worth it. sitting on the beach at night was a nice change from the blistering sun during the day and the show was pretty impressive, especially when captured by my camera in fireworks mode...
goodbye phi phi...
in the four hours we had on the phuket peninsula before our flight, we rented mopeds for $6 and did a 2-hour loop along the coast line. after we told the rental place we were pros at driving mopeds, we then figured out how to start the things, e got over her initial trepidation of driving on the left in a land of crazy drivers and all was fabulous. this was a definite highpoint of the entire trip despite the police roadblock and the $9 ticket i got for driving without a license...
before leaving, j and i spent another day in bangkok where he got 4 suits made in less than 24 hours, we accidentally ate lunch in a pakistani restaurant that had crazy anti-american slogans on the back wall, and i returned to the weekend market for some last minute shopping. i need to go back and finish up that shopping...
the rest of the trip with thai-speaking j went a bit smoother. sunny skies, super high humidity, insanely choppy seas, and crazy chubby indian tourists who wore pantyhose with shorts and sandals marked the ferry boat ride from phuket to phi phi (pronounced pee pee) island. i only got a little seasick during the last 30 minutes of the ride.
we settled in to our bungalows...
went on a boat tour...
first stop- monkey beach where the monkeys liked pineapple and evidently had itchy bums...
second stop- we played in a sparkling, super salty, gorgeous blue cove...
third stop- some choppy snorkeling in another cove. j jumped off this cliff twice- zoom in, he's at the top in front of the green hut...
fourth stop- we climbed up some bamboo steps on a rock wall and walked to the other side of the island where the movie "the beach" was filmed. sadly, this little cove has been discovered since j visited 5 years ago when it was deserted... it would have been cool if all these crazy tourists weren't there.
fifth stop- a picnic lunch on another island after which e and i enjoyed a post-lunch coma. j enjoyed getting some close up, not-very-attractive proof of my propensity to drool when sleeping. thank you love, i know you're super proud of this shot.
the last stop of the boat tour was great snorkeling in the marine reserve. i held pineapple core in my hand underwater and fish swarmed me... a bit freaky but cool. too bad we had no underwater camera.
the next day we did an impromptu hike up to a viewpoint at the top of the island. contrary to info e got from a friend, it was NOT just a 20 minute run. it was an insanely sweaty, straight uphill walk for a while. it was a pretty view but did i mention it was crazy hot? then we hiked back down a different way through a super steep jungle path and ended up at an empty (finally!) beach. more floating in super salty, gorgeous blue water- this time all by ourselves...
after getting ripped off by a boat taxi on the way back, we had lunch at an open air restaurant on another beach, watched some more chubby indians clip their toenails while they waited for their food at the table next to us, and walked back to the beach in front of our bungalow. when the tide goes out, it goes WAY out...
the favorite establishment for dinner was this hole in the wall place that served delicious, real thai food. the place was complete with peeling paint on the cement walls and a cat that was so hot and loved that it got to sleep in the fridge with the drinks...
the final night on phi phi i made myself stay awake past 8pm for the fire show. and to e and j's credit, it was worth it. sitting on the beach at night was a nice change from the blistering sun during the day and the show was pretty impressive, especially when captured by my camera in fireworks mode...
goodbye phi phi...
in the four hours we had on the phuket peninsula before our flight, we rented mopeds for $6 and did a 2-hour loop along the coast line. after we told the rental place we were pros at driving mopeds, we then figured out how to start the things, e got over her initial trepidation of driving on the left in a land of crazy drivers and all was fabulous. this was a definite highpoint of the entire trip despite the police roadblock and the $9 ticket i got for driving without a license...
before leaving, j and i spent another day in bangkok where he got 4 suits made in less than 24 hours, we accidentally ate lunch in a pakistani restaurant that had crazy anti-american slogans on the back wall, and i returned to the weekend market for some last minute shopping. i need to go back and finish up that shopping...
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