Hola everyone!
A quick one from Costa Rica! Yes, we have arrived and everything is going a-ok. So good in fact that as you know I have had no time to do any writing up of our adventures. Now we are in Costa Rica and while I have had time to start looking at some photos, no real posts sorry. And I have been informed today that no internet for a few days. Yay!
So we will see what I can do for you in a few days. In that time I should have had a chance to type up some stories, so stay tuned…
Hello everyone!
Yes, we are here in Florida and yes, I have been very unlike me in not having posted anything yet. I will get there, I promise! Days have been looooong so far but hopefully I will get to it soon. Basically it has been many hours of travel, many hours of Disney, and a days worth of Kennedy Space Centre. Given I have seen space shuttles, met an astronaut, had a run in with Stormtroopers and given Chewbacca a big hug, 8 year old Matt is currently losing his mind.
More to come soon!
Hey everyone!
Our Japan adventures are finally up. Here is the summary post with links to each day in case you want to start here! Each line below will take you straight to that blog entry.
Day One: Better Late Than Never… we *finally* arrive!
Day Two: Reds and Greens… autumn leaves and bamboo in Arashiyama
Day Three: Storming The Castle… visiting Himeji Castle
Day Four: OKONOMIYAKI… a quick day trip to Hiroshima
Day Five: Brilliant Orange… Fushimi-Inari shrine and a last day in Kyoto
Day Six: Best. Day. Ever… awesome hijinks in Tokyo
Day Seven: Running Amok In Disneyland… as the name suggests
Day Eight: Shopping Our Way Around Tokyo… did you know the flagship Uniqlo store has 12 floors?
Day Nine: Sailing the Disney Seas… yep, more Disney
Day Ten: Saying Goodbye To Fuji… homeward bound
Hope you enjoy!
Monday December 12th
Nothing to report for this day really… a midday flight meant we had to braves peak hour on the trains with all our bags and make our way to Narita. Thankfully the congestion was not too bad and a fairly uneventful ride out to the airport went with ease. We checked in, using the small Terminal 3 and with just a very slight delay we were in the air.
As we left Tokyo we could see Mt Fuji quite clearly, and that was my parting image of Japan. Fitting really.
So how was our trip? Amazing. Yes, it was my 3rd visit and I visit many of the same places, but it was my first with Kate and then we had the craziness of Tokyo with Mads and also Craig and Erin. So it made it a very different experience, and I say the more people you are with in Tokyo maybe the better. We have an animated gif of myself, Kate, Mads and Erin dancing in front of the Robot Restaurant and that sums up a big part of the trip. Whirlwind craziness, encapsulating everything I love about Japan and its people. The best.
Sunday December 11th
Our last main day in Tokyo was to knock off another Disney park for Mads, this time DisneySea. We had been fortunate to even be going, as it seemed with Christmas approaching the parks were jam packed and selling out on weekends. But we had tickets so a VERY early morning got us to the park by about 7:20, in line for more craziness.
And craziness it was indeed. There was already a massive queue of people waiting to get in and Kate’s research had suggested there was no way we would be able to do all rides in the park. So we had to be even more strategic. So as the park opened I ditched the gals and ran for fast passes for the most popular ride, Toy Story Mania. It is the most recent ride built (a clone of the California Adventures one) and routinely has wait times of 3-4 hours which is just nuts. So everyone tries to get a fast pass which means a queue just to get those first thing. But about 45 minutes of waiting meant we would get to ride it so we were all sorted.
After that it was a matter of juggling the rides to maximise how many and minimise wait times. It seemed the combination of weekend, Christmas and smaller park meant we were going to be fighting crowds all day. Oh well. Over the course of the day we managed to knock off everything we wanted, with only one long wait, which was for the best ride, Indiana Jones. We managed to get on lots of the others as well, including the story themed ones like Sinbad, the most excellent Journey To The Centre Of The Earth and 20000 Leagues Under The Sea and even see a show or two. Toy Story Mania was just as fun as I remembered too, especially scoring a pretty high score too thanks to my sharp shooting. Sadly I missed out on the Tower of Terror, but I wasn’t prepared to (nor have the time) wait 2.5 hours. So we just ran around the park having fun, being befuddled for the insane lines for popcorn and turkey legs, being confused by Duffy the Disney Bear, and just soaking it up.
Rather than have a typical parade, here at DisneySea it was all based on the lagoon in the middle of the park. The show here was Fantasmic, one I had seen in California many years ago, but one Kate had not seen. So on dark, we settled in in a good spot and kicked back.
It was finally time for us to get on to Toy Story Mania, after the epic chase for fast passes at the start of the day. Kate and I had been on this in California Adventures and is definitely one of my favourite rides. Like Astro Blasters you get to compete and try and score points as you move through, this one decked out like a carnival with different games of skill. The 3D actually makes it pretty great. Worth the 4 hour waits many people are doing? Probably not. But it is still rad.
Like Friday, next thing we knew it was approaching 10pm and park closing time, so we got a least couple of gifts and trained it back again. Another night getting home after 11pm having been up since 6. I don’t think I had managed more than about 6 hours sleep a night, combined with all the walking so I was exhausted. We all were, but it was just as we wanted it.