Author Archives: Mel

Japan 2020 Day 3: exploring Osaka

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Mel

Our tiny little apartment here has 5 doors worth of sound proofing….which it needs because the train is literally 2 metres from the balcony. We slept very well though (despite the rock solid bed) so obviously the soundproofing works.

Today’s weather was 8-14C which for someone who now survives Canberra winters is no big deal lol. B said it was “perfect weather for wandering around”….so wander we did! I was glad I grabbed my jacket at the last minute though as the wind was freezing. We went on an adventure to find Kiji Sky okinomanyaki restaurant which is in the Umeda Sky Building basement and comes with rave reviews. They are also another one of those places that has a Michelin Star but is still very cheap – we have found one in Singapore as well in the past. We had to go on quite a trek to find it through shopping malls, train stations, strange alleyways and underground passages.

We eventually made to the basement level of the Umeda sky building where everything looks like old shops….and discovered every single thing was labeled only in Japanese and signage was limited. Thanks to google and other people posting photos of the front, we found Kiji Sky at shop 11 and it was amaaaaaazing. We did have to queue for about 30 mins before getting a seat but it was totally worth it.

After our early lunch (¥750 for one savoury pancake split between us) we caught the nearest metro train to Osaka Castle and did some exploring there. The sun had well and truly gone by this point and all the photos are quite grey. Osaka Castle is quite different to the other ones we have seen in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara because it was fully destroyed about 6 different times since the 1500s so has been rebuilt from photos and pictures each time! This means on the inside it has very little old world charm as it was rebuilt in the 1950s to more modern design and construction standards.

We headed back to the hotel for a rest and to put some extra layers on before venturing out for dinner to the local Hankyu Sanbangai Food Museum which is basically an awesome food court located underneath a shopping centre….attached to the huge Umeda train station. A few travel blogs I read said this was a great, cheap option as they were all small, individual retailers and had lots of choice. We went Hokkaido style for dinner and had pork ramen, gyoza and beer.

We are going to bed early tonight to ready ourselves for tomorrow’s day at Universal Studions Japan! Eeeeeek.

Step count: 16 050

Japanese food we have eaten today: Okonomiyaki (pork), chocolate pocky, tiny red bull and a can of hot chocolate from a ridiculous vending machine, ramen, gyozo and Asahi beer for B.

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Japan 2020 Day 1+2: travelling to Osaka

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Mel

At 8am in the morning we dropped Bear and Jet off at their dog hotel (after I interrogated them about their very detailed smoke and bush fire management plans). They love staying at Hanrob and I love that they let them hoard together and manage Jet’s anxiety really well – it’s win win.

At the last minute we changed our 3hr bus Canberra to Sydney ticket to a 5pm flight – the road was open and closing intermittently because of the bushfires in NSW at the moment and there was no guarantee we would get through on time. I was already nervous about connecting to our AirAsia flight as it was! Yay for the flat beds again though. We elected to fly Syd-KL, 11 hr stop over, KL – Osaka over a direct Sydney to Japan flight because the cost for the flat beds was the same as it was to fly economy on qantas. We both felt the flatbeds were worth it.

We did experience a slight flight delay from Canberra due to the weather and bushfire smoke but we still made it to Sydney just in time for our international flight connection to Kuala Lumpur. After 8hrs of veeeeery turbulent flying and landing in KL at 3am, we spent the next 8 hrs at the samasama airport hotel which is awesome because it is in KLIA2 (the Airasia terminal) so there is no need to collect bags or clear immigration. The room cost about $110 AUD for the 8 hours and I prebooked online which got me a discount.

We had a lovely sleep in our queen bed and then some food in the attached lounge before boarding the next 8hr flight on to Osaka, Japan. The flights really aren’t that bad when you have comfy flat beds, USB ports, free entertainment devices and a quilted blanket. I still maintain I would rather deal with an 11hr stop over than for 16hrs straight in economy on qantas for the same price! B is less convinced haha.

We arrived at Kansai airport in Osaka at 10pm at night local time after a very long day and a half of travelling. We used our icoca cards which are still valid from 6 years ago and caught a train from the airport into the city (easy), swapped to the subway (also pretty easy to do) and then walked about 6 mins to our lovely little apartment here.

In total it took about an hour and cost us ¥1600 each versus what would have been ¥20000 in a taxi. Taxis in Japan are very expensive so we didn’t even consider that option.

I booked the accomodation in Osaka on booking.com and it is called “Osaka Umeda Hotel Apartments” which basically means it’s a dude renting out his apartment like on Air BnB. Considering the prices of surrounding hotels though, this was excellent value for about $100 AUD a night! His directions provided by email were very detailed and it has wifi which is not always a given in Japanese hotels so I’m happy. His detailed directions combined with google maps got us there with a 5 min walk from the local Umeda station which is a big transport hub.

Our plan for tomorrow is to recover from 30 hours of travelling with a sleep in and then do some low stakes wandering of Osaka since neither of us have been here before.

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Japan 2020 planning is full steam ahead

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Mel

We leave on Jan 6th from Canberra and arrive in Osaka late on Jan 7th. We had planned to trial the “Murray’s bus” as an option for transit to Sydney this time but with all the bushfires happening here and the accompanying road closures, we have instead decided to fly. We are doing our international legs through AirAsia (once you try their flat beds you’ll never go back) which is awesomely comfortable although it does unfortunately include a few stop overs for extended periods. We are going to try out the SamaSama airport hotel at KLIA2 for the first time this trip – no clearing customs needed!

Fun stuff booked and/or planned so far includes:

Osaka Jan 7-11th

  • Universal Studios – I bought us express line tickets for the flying dinosaur ride hahaha
  • Tempozan Ferris Wheel
  • Kaiyukan Aquarium
  • Tracking down some excellent okonomiyaki places

Tokyo Jan 11-14th

  • Mount Fuji day trip. In winter we may get an amazingly clear day where we have stunning views, or we may get rained out. We are rolling the dice to find out!
  • Dinner at our favourite restaurant in the whole world (so far) Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511
  • A visit to the Harajuka cafe area and possibly trying out monster kawaii cafe
  • Maybe a visit to Disney Sea….I’m still undecided on this

Niseko Jan 14-21st

  • Snow for B man! He plans to go all over the mountain plus a day trip to Rasutsu
  • Onsens and relaxation for me
  • All the ramen and dumplings I can eat

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Day 2 + 3:Bannisters by the sea, Mollymook

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Mel

The weather at the moment here is more winter rather than spring…very grey and drizzly. Breakfast was at the hotel this morning (a very average continental free offer) which we were easily able to make the time for as there is definitely no sleeping in here – for 5 star prices there is no 5 star sound proofing. After breakfast we saw a baby kookaburra and his buddy just chilling near our balcony.

After trying to make friends with the kookaburra and failing, we went up to the lookout just to reinforce the greyness haha

We had a bit of a rest and then headed to Cupitt’s Winery (5 min drive from the hotel) to eat cheese and drink wine. It’s a beautiful location and there were baby cows EVERYWHERE. I want one.

After lunch we spent the afternoon getting drunk in the spa bath because that’s what adults do on romantic getaways right?

Dinner tonight was at Rick Steins restaurant which comes highly reviewed. We had scollops as an entree (yum) and my main was battered local fish while Bs was ginger snapper. Both were pretty good. Dessert was creme brûlée and we had the Rick Stein seafood wine to go with it all. For a highly rated restaurant I was a little disappointed with the noise levels and lack of consistent waitstaff but the food was top notch.

On day 3 the weather was once again terrible but we still slogged through it and went to the Shoalhaven Timber Festival in Milton NSW. We saw some baby goats, cattle rustling, wood chopping and I bought a toilet roll holder made by the local men’s shed.

After some show snacks (donuts and hot chocolate) we returned to an afternoon of spa relaxation and bubbly.

The next day we drove home (2.5hrs) and then picked up a very sleepy Bear and Jet who had been having a great time at a pet hotel.

Overall thoughts: lovely town, pretty beach but not very practical, nice hotel….but not worth the 5 star rating or $$$$$ pricing. I think next time we will stick with our air bnb closer to Batemans Bay.

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Day 1: Bannisters by the Sea, Mollymook

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Mel

We decided to take a little coastal getaway this school holidays (without the fur babies) down to the NSW south coast. This time we went with somewhere more upmarket rather than our usual stayz beach house – so we picked Bannisters by the Sea. When you mention this place to people in Canberra they all go “oooooh fancy” because it is a little on the $$$ side but also it books out months in advance. The doggos once again stayed at Hanrob Pet Hotels who are fantastic with Jet’s anxiety.

On arrival at Bannisters in Mollymook (about 2.5hrs drive from Canberra) we got to check out the gorgeous view from our spa room. We then went for a wander in the reserve nearby and down to the rock beach.

Dinner tonight was at the Pool Bar on-site which had delicious cocktails and a very yummy tasting platter. We were also able to watch the sunlight slowly disappear with the ocean in the background and because we are on a cliff face here, the noise of the waves is really lovely. The Pool Bar was busy but not too busy (will be interesting to see what it’s like on weekends) so we were easily able to be seated.

Back to the room where we took photos of the very pretty infinity pool and I (once again) put way too many bubbles in the bubble bath and splashed around like a complete numpty.

Tomorrow’s plan is: not much! If the weather is nice we will relax by the pool and chill out or possibly explore nearby Milton or Ulladulla. There is a mountain close by I wanted to climb but….meh….it’s break time! Plus the weather is meant to be average.

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January 2020 trip booked – Japan!

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Mel

We are off to Japan again in January 2020! We haven’t been together since Jan 2014 so it should be great fun, the plan is:

  • 4 nights in Osaka to explore a place we haven’t been to and hopefully also go to Universal Studios

  • 3 nights in Tokyo which includes a day trip out to Mt Fuji and dinner at our shared favourite restaurant in the whole world Kobe Beef Kaiseki A511

  • 7 nights in Niseko staying at the snooooow! We are staying at Freedom Inn again which is a gorgeous little lodge near the Hanazono snow base. B will snowboard or ski – he’s undecided at this point – and I will enjoy onsens, massages and relaxation while we are there.

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MICF 4th year (day 6): Melbourne Aquarium and hotel review for Rydges on Exhibition St

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Mel

We checked out of our accomodation at 11am and left our luggage behind while we went on a wander in search of food and entertainment. Given that it was Easter Monday, we knew options would be somewhat limited and I was on strict “no shopping” instructions since I had barely managed to close the suitcase after my style adventure earlier in the trip.

We opted to go to Melbourne SEAlife Aquarium to see some cute sea critters and kill some time. It was insanely busy (public holiday) and to be honest – I would not recommend it with lines and numbers like that. The customer service staff just couldn’t handle it and were totally overwhelmed, wait times to get in were close to an hour and the number of people meant you couldn’t see much anyway.

Hotel review time! We stayed at the Rydges Melbourne this year after a couple of terrible stays at Adara Collins (now called the Collins Hotel – AVOID) and a good stay at the Novotel on Collins last year,

Positives:

  • It averaged out to about $240 a night which is pretty damn good for a king suite with a ginormous spa
  • I like the option of not getting your room being made up and getting $10 food and beverage credit each day since I hate having my bed remade each day. That’s just me though

  • The comedy festival location for us was great – next to one venue and no more than a 10 min walk to any other one aside from the Spiegeltent in Collingwood
  • The bed and pillows were excellent in our room although other trip advisor reviews suggest this is not consistent

Negatives:

  • The plumbing sounds in this building are insane because it’s so old. This woke us up quite a few times as it sounds like a train coming through. The aircon is also really old and very noisy. In keeping with the theme of a very old room – the carpet is revolting. I’m not usually one to comment on carpet or furniture because “meh” but this was covered in years of stains
  • On check in they would not accept my debit MasterCard at all and then got annoyed when the only credit card I had was an AmEx. Never had this issue with an Australian hotel before
  • It is at the top end of the city so can be a pain to walk back to after events in the CBD ….it’s mostly uphill to walk back as well which could be a mobility issue for some
  • Another bloody 4 star hotel which only has a power point on one side of the bed. I don’t understand how this is still a thing!

Obviously the positives far outweighed the negatives on this trip and we would certainly stay again for this sort of room at this pricing.

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MICF 4th year (day 5): laneways, Melbourne Zoo, Impromptunes again and Joel Creasey

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Mel

Another lazy lay in was followed by a laneway breakfast and a wander up Hosier Lane to see the artwork.

I then gave B two choices for the day: Melbourne zoo or Queen Victoria Markets. He chose the zoo which also seemed to be a popular spot with every single annoying family in Melbourne. So many people, so little concept of queuing. So many parents, so little control of the screaming offspring. At least the animals were cute – well the ones that weren’t hiding from the badly behaved kids anyway. Poor little platypus.

This evening we had our shortest gap between shows – just 30 mins – and we also had to make a 17 min walk between venues in that gap. It was a bit too hectic for me and I don’t think I would do it again unless the venues were closer together!

Impromptunes at the Trade Hall were excellent as always. I yelled out my suggestion of “platypus assassin” but they went with the title of “…and then I found $50” for tonight’s one night only show! I can’t recommend seeing these guys enough, we usually go to 2-3 shows every visit. We were front row again next to the musical director.

We then walked aaaaaallllll the way down to Flinders Street (way too quickly for my liking, I am not a runner) to get in line for entry to Joel Creasey’s “drink, slay, repeat” show at the Forum Theatre. As always he was a massive bitch and the show was hilarious.

Dinner was later than usual (9:20pm) and we were lucky that China Red agreed to feed us as long as we ordered quickly. Mmmm dumplings.

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MICF 4th year (day 4): Rice Paper Scissors, Wil Anderson and Circus Neon

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Mel

Today started with a well earned sleep in before lunch at Rice Paper Scissors. We booked online beforehand (highly recommend) and were seated second because of this. There was quite a crowd of people without bookings waiting for them to open up at midday. We have eaten here before and love the tapas style, use your hands and shared plate approach.

Today’s share plates were bettel leaf prawns (B failed to eat the leaf and got told off lol), pork belly, steamed pork buns, marinated chicken thigh and wagyu steak with citrus sauce. Our highlights were the Bellini with pear and berries and the steamed buns!

After lunch we had a nap to allow all the food to wear off before it was time for tonight’s comedy shows – Wil Anderson and Circus Oz: Neon at the Melba Spiegeltent in Collingwood.

This is our third year seeing Wil Anderson live and his shows always draw big crowds, are always funny and are always topical. Our top tip for his shows though: don’t be late and don’t be in the front two rows! He picks on the audience lol.

We then had a snack and a Moscow mule at Locanda which is the bar attached to our hotel. Rydges on Exhibition Street does the whole “veto your room being serviced and get a $10 food and beverage voucher per day” so we had $40 of room credit to spend on pizza and booze. Mmmmm pizza. Circus Oz NEON was out at the Spiegeltent in Collingwood ($9 Uber ride).

The show billed itself as “an unapologetic, funny, and downright dirty dancing cabaret where circus meets comedy and song in an unforgivably big shoulder pads night out. This is Circus Oz as you’ve never seen them – adult, uncut and celebrating the gloriously gaudy and glitzy 80’s” which was for 18+ only. Once again, this venue and show were a highlight of the festival for us! So many catchy 80s tunes and some amazing acrobatics. I have also quickly become a Geraldine Quinn fan despite not having heard of her before this years festival.

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MICF 4th year (day 3): Healesville Sanctuary, visiting Denzel and The Impromptunes

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Mel

Finally, after three years of trying I managed to book the wade with the platypus experience at Healesville Sanctuary! However, the only day I could book it was Good Friday. This left us with a transport issue because getting out to Badger Creek is a real pain in the butt without a car. On a normal day you can go train, train, bus and it takes 2hrs. On a public holiday, and with the current track works in place, the suggested route was train, bus, bus, bus, walk 2 hrs. Hmmm. So, our options were:

  • Private transfer
  • Uber or taxi
  • Book a tour
  • Hire a car

Hiring a car was out due to the public holiday and I wasn’t prepared to risk refusals or surcharges from Uber or a taxi – apparently this is very common when wanting to head out that far. The tours were a great idea in theory but there were very few that made it out to Healesville by 11am which was our allocated platypus cuddle time. In the end I went with Black Bow Chauffeurs to get us out there and it was about $50 more than an Uber but fully guaranteed. We were very lucky that our former foster dog (Denzel) has a lovely furever family who live locally and they offered to drop us back into the city after our sanctuary visit and Denzel pats, which meant we only had to transfer one way.

We arrived just before the 9am opening and it was totally dead. For the first hour we hardly saw anyone but then as it progressed towards the platypus show time (11:15am) the crowd picked up a little. It never felt busy to us though and the volunteers said it didn’t feel busy. The animals were all very active in the morning as it was feeding time so we got to see lots of movement and furry butt wriggling.

The wade with the platypus experience was AMAZING! We got to pat Kami the female platypus, tickle her belly and feed her some worms. Definitely one of the more hands on experiences we have had with meeting different animals.

After visiting Healesville Sanctuary, Debbi kindly came to collect us. The traffic as we were leaving was totally nuts! They had blocked roads as the car park, overflow car park and overflow overflow car park were full! Debbi took us to a local look out and then to visit our former foster doggo Denzel who we hadn’t seen since he moved to Healesville with them 16 months ago. He is so happy now and his family is just a perfect fit for him ❤️

After Debbi and Simon kindly drove us back to Melbourne CBD, I enjoyed another lovely bubble bath and then we headed off to the evenings showing of Impromptunes: A Completely Improvised Musical. This is the third year we have been to see their shows and they are always excellent, I usually try to get to 2-3 each year if I can as they are different topics each night. Tonight’s musical title was “French Tuck” and included hits like the closing song “Mullet”. I plan to yell out the musical suggestion “platypus assassin” when we go again for their final show on Sunday 🙂

Dinner after the show was at my favourite Melbourne dumpling place China Red and once again we got a seat with the electronic ordering so I hardly had to interact with anyone. Glorious. Their vegetarian dumplings are the best.

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