We went to Ohori Park afterwards and rode a swan boat (¥1,100 for 30 minutes). It was a relaxing activity for us even if we need to pedal the whole time.
MARCH 17, 2020
We enjoyed oden, fish, and chicken during breakfast but the highlight was the kinako mochi. Airbnb grandparents brought out a small griller and placed the mochi there. When it was roasted, they gave us soybean flour to coat the mochi. I loved the combination of the nutty taste and chewiness of mochi!
We went to OHORI PARK afterwards and rode a swan boat (¥1,100 for 30 minutes). It was a relaxing activity for us even if we need to pedal the whole time… the scenery was calming and you could see that people were also enjoying the moment.
After time was up, we explored a bit more of Ohori Park…
…and found some flowers and trees already blooming.
We took a bus then ferry to go to the island then another bus to reach the main area of Nokonoshima. Note that the ferry runs every 30 minutes only.
MARCH 15, 2020
Every breakfast in our Airbnb felt like a feast… and as someone who does not eat breakfast, I always end up feeling super full after eating our breakfast.
Before leaving the house, Hisako-obaasan gave me a plastic mat and snacks for our Nokonoshima trip. Such a super sweet person as well as her husband! They made us feel like we were their grandkids.
We took a bus then ferry to go to the island then another bus to reach the main area of NOKONOSHIMA. Note that the ferry runs every 30 minutes only so better get the schedule first from any tourist info center to be able to plan this trip properly.
We paid for ¥1,200 entrance fee per person to get inside the park. And while there were no sakura trees blooming yet, there were a lot of flower types already in full bloom.
After a long walk, we finally reached the area which I only saw in pictures before.
The rapeseed flowers were in full bloom and there was a pathway you can enter to be closer to the flowers.
Once satisfied with the pictures, we set the plastic mat and munched on the snacks provided by Hisako-obaasan. What a wonderful picnic especially with good weather that day!
We had lunch already in Hakata station where we tried HAKATA ISSOU. C still prefers Shin Shin because she found Hakata Issou’s broth to be nice at the beginning but too salty towards the end.
We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for clothes and souvenirs then went back to our Airbnb to rest.
I wanted to attend a Sunday English mass for our last day in Paris (and Europe) but M could not find a schedule that would fit our itinerary. We went to Sainte-Chapelle instead since it was nearer than Palais Garnier. Sainte-Chapellewas built by King Louis IX to house his collection of religious relics. It also has one of the most extensive collections of stained-glass windows in the world – estimated to be around 600 m2.
MAY 5, 2019
I wanted to attend a Sunday English mass for our last day in Paris (and Europe) but M could not find a schedule that would fit our itinerary. We went to Sainte-Chapelle instead since it was nearer than Palais Garnier. SAINTE-CHAPELLE was built by King Louis IX to house his collection of religious relics. It also has one of the most extensive collections of stained-glass windows in the world – estimated to be around 600 m2.
We visited first the Lower Chapel, which was previously used by palace employees. This chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
We went upstairs to reach the Upper Chapel, which was previously used by the royal family and their friends. It was also here where the king stored his religious relics.
They also had a TV in this area which showed the process of restoring and cleaning stained glass windows. The careful and meticulous work that was needed to do it was so impressive to see.
We met with M afterwards to have our lunch at MUSCOVADO, a small restaurant owned by a Filipina.
Breakfast burrito
We spent the rest of the afternoon in M’s place to rest while M played PS4. Haha!
And, that’s the end of our almost 1-month trip in EU. My sister and I were fortunate enough to have our leaves approved without any difficulty. Our wallets were drained but thinking about the experiences and memories made, definitely no regrets!
Since there were four of us, we decided to just take a cab going to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE instead of the train. We got a bit lost when we were trying to look for the entrance to USS but still managed to find it thanks to the help of friendly Singaporeans. We bought our USS ticket online because we also availed the Express Pass, which saved us time.
APRIL 22, 2017
KT and I woke up early to eat the famous kaya toast at YA KUN KAYA TOAST. Good thing there was a branch near the hotel so we didn’t have to hurry or spend for transportation. We were supposed to meet J and K at USS but it was a coincidence that they also planned to eat kaya toast in the same branch so we ended up meeting earlier.
Breakfast: Kaya Toast with Egg
Since there were four of us, we decided to just take a cab going to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE instead of the train. We got a bit lost when we were trying to look for the entrance to USS but still managed to find it thanks to the help of friendly Singaporeans. We bought our USS ticket online because we also availed the Express Pass, which saved us time.
We first went to Lights, Camera, Action!, where we got to experience the setting of a Category 5 hurricane in New York City. We were not allowed to take photos but this one was a good attraction. Next stop was Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate Battle, which is very similar to the Amazing Spiderman ride in USJ.
Continuing the tradition of taking a selfie after every ride
Our first extreme ride (and probably the only one haha!) was Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon. It was K’s first time to ride a rollercoaster and we were not sure if he enjoyed it, but at least the other rollercoasters we rode that day seemed like a piece of cake to him. All of us rode Human but K and I backed out in Cylon. Haha!
Just a few meters away from this ride, we could already see Egypt theme in the next portion of the theme park.
We rode the Revenge of the Mummy, which reminded me of Disneyland’s Space Mountain in Tokyo and HK. J recommended this because she liked this ride in Universal Studios LA but she was quite disappointed (and us as well) with the effects – supposed to feel the insects crawling on our skin but we only felt water splashes. ☹ We still went for another ride after using our Express Pass because the waiting time wasn’t that long… but we forgot the time limit in our lockers! We didn’t have any money with us so we waited for the fellow tourists to claim their belongings. Good thing fellow Pinoys came so we borrowed money from them to open our lockers. Lesson learned!
After the 1st ride
After the 2nd ride
Dinosaur era was the next theme we encountered. We went to Jurassic Park: Rapids Adventure and had a lot of fun getting splashed. I braced myself in case there was a surprise drop towards the end but thankfully didn’t happen. Raincoats were available for purchase but we decided to just let the hot weather dry us. Tipid tipid din pag may time.
We had our late lunch in the area – laksa and dinosaur nuggets for me and KT.
No picture because we forgot – but we also ride Canopy Flyer to help us dry our clothes. Haha! Far Far Away land was the next stop…
We rode Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey which is a rollercoaster ride for kids. It was part of the Express Pass so might as well use it as much as we can.
We participated in the Shrek 4D(?), which we did not enjoy as much. The introduction part was just too long that it became boring. The 4D part was okay though. We also attended [Puss in Boots live] and had fun with the interactions.
Fiona and Shrek spotted
Happily ever after ❤
Our last stop was Waterworld, which is based on Nicholas Cage’s sci-fi film. No idea about the movie but it is apparently popular according to my mom. It was the last show for the day and it was crazy how it was very humid at 5PM… so we decided to sit in the SOAK ZONE. Yes, we really wanted to get soaked with lots of water! Intense ng init!
They had an awesome huge set and prior to the start of the show, some of the cast engaged the audience by asking each side to mimic their cheers. They also splashed some people with lots of water! Couldn’t upload the video here but the whole show was freaking great, particularly the stunts and effects! Hands down one of the best theme park shows we have watched.
We rode Enchanted Airways before going to Madagascar, the last portion of USS we have yet to explore. We didn’t ride any attraction but we bought cold desserts… both mango and strawberry were just okay. ☹ There were fruit bits that were too sour for our taste.
After eating dessert, KT went back to Battlestar Galactica to ride Cylon again. The rest of us decided to just wait for her and when she came back, she told a funny story on how her seatmate (big male person) told her after the ride that he couldn’t scream because she was laughing and having fun the whole time.
We left USS and took a cab going to LAU PA SAT for dinner. KT and I got the same food and shared some portions – dim sum from Bao Luo Wan Xiang and duck noodles which I forgot from which stall. We enjoyed the food and everything was incredibly affordable.
All in all, a fun day for the four of us despite the very humid weather. ❤
Anne Goes to Places 