San francisco Layover: PIER 39

This is a nice tourist stop if you're in San Francisco. but rather than just going there as its own destination, perhaps you would like to combine it with a visit to Alcatraz and the adjacent fisherman's wharf.

The Pier itself can be a bit of a tourist haven. Given all the things to do here though it's understandable. The pier is home to many small shops, cafes, things to do etc. On a clear day you can see Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and Oakland Bridge - binoculars would help mind you!. The most impressive 'attraction' is the sealions though they take up home in the body of water to the west of the pier. Anything from 10s to 100s bask in the sun on the platforms. It is commented on here that much of the things to do and places to eat and drink on the pier is over-priced, well, I agree to an extent. There are a few what I would call plastic touristy money traps but there are also more reasonably priced places to eat and drink. We had a fantastic Fruit Smoothie from a small outlet that was empty, it cost $3.80 when the Sports Bar across the pier was charging $4 for a Coca Cola. How could anyone complain that our Smoothie was not reasonably priced. If you can avoid the flashing lights and plastic you WILL be able to find good things to eat and drink at 'ok' or expected prices.

I think that no first time tourist should go away from SF until you saw this pier and spent some time and money there, watch sea lions, make a harbor photos, good eats there as well, etc....Very, very nice tourist attraction 

 

San Franciso on a Layover Part 1

We landed at  San Francisco International airport  after a tiring 10 hours flight from Narita via United airlines and since we had a 7 hour layover before our next flight to vegas, so we decided to explore the city.

Immigration and baggage claim take no longer than 45 minutes. Security checks are usually uncrowded but i noticed that there were lots of Filipino airport staffs who can smell you from a distance and can help you with navigation to get out of the airport and explore the city. 

Thank God for this folks...we were able to find our way to another transit connection from airport to city using BART (Bay Area Rapit transit)... But buying tickets can be complicated if you dont have the proper bills in 10's and 20s... But this one deserves a new post on its own as this can ruin your mood if not properly planned ahead... 

Thats it pancit for layover part 1...


 

Cooking With Kuya K (Baked Mussels)

"Above all else, go with a sense of humor. It is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lip is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life."



cooking with kuya k from kin chang on Vimeo.

 

HAKONE

One weekend in autumn, hubby together with our two dear friends (bong and toni) decided to take a day trip out of Tokyo, Hakone seemed like the perfect choice. Located about 80 kilometers from Tokyo, this quaint town in the mountains is famous for its abundance of onsen, traditional Japanese hot springs. This, and the possibility of seeing Mt. Fuji rise above Lake Ashi on a clear day, had us immediately sold.

 We arrived at Lake ashi just before noon time and purchased our Hakone Day pass which was inclusive of round trip ropeway and sightseeing cruise.

 

Owakudani , the volcanic valley about halfway to Lake Ashi was our first stop. I could smell the sulfur almost immediately after stepping out of the car, and could see steam rising from the vents.

We walked the short distance to the sulfur vents and bought some of the famous kuro tumago, or black eggs. The eggs are hard boiled in the hot springs and eating one is said to add seven years to your life. A pack of five costs 500 yen. We gobbled down two before heading back to the cable car to continue our journey.

We hopped on one of the sightseeing ships again for a cruise back at Lake ashi where we parked our car. The boat docked at Hakone machi and continue on our journey to the famous onsen (japanese hot spring). 

The woman at the front desk was skeptical seeing us foreigners willing to undress in public... yes naked in a public bath  so they explain their rules in english. We nodded and went on to our respective locker rooms.

After undressing and washing, Toni and I walked outside for rotenburo (outdoor hotspring). The afternoon sun was golden and low in the sky, steam rose off the pools, and birds chirped in the background. The onsen were nearly empty and we relaxed in the hot water for nearly an hour. There is something marvelous about being naked outside skinny dipping in a healing water.