Back in Tokyo

It's been a while since I last wrote.  I'm currently back in Japan and really happy to have internet access.  Finding free wi-ri is nearly impossible in Japan so I brought my laptop with me.  From what a friend told me, it was available at one point, but concerns of privacy no longer made it widely to the public.

As soon as I step foot outside of the airport, I felt a wave of nostalgia pass over me: clean buses with polite drivers, handles so low they hit MY head @ 5'4", paying my fare in paper bills, machines that provide change.... I will spare you the remainder of my mundane list.

The best part is, coming to a business hotel and reading awesome signs like this on my bathroom door:

"Thank you fire alarm for working when steam leaves the bathroom."  I was worried that I would no longer find awkward sentences like this anymore but am happy to know that is not true!

Blackbeard's Cruises

Just came back from a dive trip where I lived on a 65' sailboat which was converted into a liveaboard for 20+ people. The rooms were tiny. When you enter the room, you face the beds (4 people per room) and when you turn around, your nose practically hits the wall. It's very tight. The bathrooms were just as tight and you can't flush paper down or else you will jam the toilet. We had one very rough day at sea and someone threw up in the middle of the night and reupholstered the walls.

The diving was great. Spotted some awesome creatures: Carribean reef sharks, octopus, scorpion fish, trumpet fish, spiny lobster, arrowhead crabs, coral banded crabs, sea cucumber, electric ray, etc. Sharks were my favorite! It's so humbling to sit on the ocean floor while the sharks circle around you. Unless you're facing them, you don't even know they're close to you until you see them right behind you or over you.

Aside from the lodging, the temperatures were very, very chilly. At one point it was 43F and 39F with the wind chill. It was not appropriate to be standing around wet in a bathing suit on a ship without protection from the wind.

Boriqua

Went to PR for a short weekend getaway -- Friday to Sunday. The schedule was very tight and a lot was squeezed into the short time frame but it was fun. Sleep can wait!



Day 1:

Head to Old San Juan. We were lucky enough to find street parking. Visited El Morro fort which is on the tip of the island with a great view of the ocean. Lunch at Jibralito -- pernil, delicioso mofongo, langostines with garlic, and rice and beans (of course). Headed over to
San Lornenzo to drop off Peter at his baseball game. Drove to Humacao but nothing there so I headed back and watched some baseball. I had a driving mishap. It was dark and accidentally ended up on the off ramp of a highway. There were red signs a few feet past the exit with sentence written on it which I couldn't read. Wasn't sure but it felt wrong so I did a 180. Luckily, cars started coming down the ramp just as I had turned around.



Day 2:

Left for Fajardo for the ferry to Vieques at 3am thinking the ferry was at 6am and people would be waiting early to go. Not only was Vieques not as popular a destination as we thought it would be, the ferry was at 9am. We could have had several extra hours of sleep. Oh well. Slept in the car instead.


In Vieques, we rented another car -- Tracker with scratches and dents all over, cracked signal, passenger window could not roll down and no radio. Checked into our hotel, The Great Escape. A hidden hotel with a crazy steep and rocky driveway.

Our biolumicent bay tour was amazing. Thought of switching operators because there were 20+ people but he was so well organized it felt like it was a small group. The operator's name was Abe's Snorkeling. He told us what cause the water to glow, how we can help maintain it, etc.

After driving around, we decided you definitely need to rent a jeep to get around Vieques. The roads are totally ridiculous -- rocky dirt roads. Apparently Culebra is more popular b/c it's cheaper and you can camp out there.


Day 3:

Headed back on the 1pm ferry to Fajardo. We drove around looking for Peter's game in Ponce. The directions we received we terrible: drive along this road, turn right, keep going until you pass two government buildings, go under a highway, pass a hotdog vendor, etc etc. Haha. Through some divine miracle we found it. I went my own way and drove to El Yunque. It was beautiful and lush and green. The roads were fun to drive on. They were windy all through out. It was pouring rain when I got to the top so I dropped in the souvenior shop and bought some coquis (frogs). They're so cute.

Trip was short but fun. It was my first taste of PR and I thought people were friendly and a beautiful state/country/island. What is this place? Food is good but it's heavy. I tried the icies from a couple of vendors but the best one was by El Morro. So light and smooth. Mmmm. They can't really drive which is quite annoying. They like to sit in the left lane. They also have some of their own alcohol that they ferment with roots and fruit underground. I think it's ron cana. I tried some with tamarind which was sour and sweet at the same time. It was strong but good.

Exploring New York

It's been a while since I last write. I've slowly been exploring New York and trying to catch up on things I should have done or discovering new gems. I got to ride the Cyclone before it shut down for the rest of year. I also caught myself some fresh whiplash as a souvenir.

I also had some friends from Holland visit so I got to see some places I haven't been to like Govenor's Island and Harlem. I was really disappointed by Govenor's island. It's tiny, the ferry ride is only about 10 min, and it's not as luscious and green as I imagined it to be. We did a self guided walking tour of Harlem which was nice. We visited the famous Abyssinian Baptist Church and visited some houses with old wooden porches. I was also able to score some Yankee tickets and checked out the stadium before they tear it down. I think it's the first time I've been there. To me, since I don't have any memories tied to the sport, it was like visiting any other place. It doesn't hold any sentimental value, but I was glad to have had a chance to visit a place where history was made.

I've also been exploring little holes in the walls and discovering new places with great food. There is a great falafel place near Katz's deli where they make fresh pitas and tasty falafels. The guy working there was Moroccan. He seems to really love his country. I also found this delicious taco place in Hells Kitchen. Outside it's a bodega but there is a small window inside with 2 mexican ladies making tacos. I think they make their own tortillas. The tacos come out looking like the ones I had in Mexico. They had my favorite lenguas (tongue). They also had other meats like ear, chicarron (pork skin), salted beef, etc. I definitely want to go back. The place reminds me of my times in Mexico. Niquoa and I would get two tacos for $1 off the cart. Of course the tacos here cost more -- $2.50 and up. I saved on the price of airfare though.

Kebab Cafe!

I went to eat at Kebab Cafe! in Astoria today. The restaurant was featured on Anthony Bourdain's show. Although he comes off as an opionated jerk on the show, apparently he's really friendly and nice. Who knew?! Anyway, this restaurant is narrow and has large glass windows. The building number is not on the outside of the restaurant and the name of the restaurant is at the top not within eye level. My friend and I almost walked past it. Once you walk inside, it's a narrow restaurant with the kitchen immediately to the right. Ali, the chef/owner, tells you the menu and brings the food out for you. He prepares traditional Egyptian dishes composed mainly of lamb. He serves all parts of the animal including brain, tongue, testicles, and cheek. Everything is prepared differently. My favorite was the brain which had the texture of tofu. It was seasoned with a lot of lime or lemon. The kushary was different from the ones I had in Egypt but it was still good. At Kebab, he uses more rice than pasta and tops it off with sauteed onions rather overfried crispy garlic bits. The testicles were soft and sauteed with green peppers and onions with a sauce that tasted like oyster sauce. I didn't really like the sauce and the texture of the balls was really soft and mushy. I will definitely be back to this restaurant. It has a nice friendly atmosphere. You feel as though you're sitting in someone's living room. The food is a bit pricey but I guess it's the price you pay for good food.

Astoria is an interesting neighborhood with ethnic fusion. You will find a Greek restaurant next to a Spanish tapas restaurant which is next to an Italian cafe. There were also a ton of hookah bars in the neighborhood as well. Most of them seem to be occupied by men which is typical of Egypt since local women do not smoke. Smoking shisha is a nice way to sit and relax and catch up with friends.

Habitat for Humanity Newark

Last weekend, I went to Newark to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity. The commute there was really blurry at 6 AM. I took the subway to the PATH to the bus. It really was quite a hike. Once I got there, I watched a brief safety video and debriefed about the do's and don'ts... like don't wear sneakers. Of course I wore sneakers. Luckily, they had a pair of oversized boots for me to borrow.

I felt as though I was in a foreign country. We were told never walk between the sites alone. Once the people in the neighborhood get to know us, then you can start walking around on your own. Walk in groups with a minimum of 2 people. Don't bring your wallet. Put a $5 in your pocket before going to the store. I made it there and back to the Middle East unharmed and now I might not make it out of Newark alive? Jeez. How ironic. Maybe this is related to the fact that people get into car accidents when they are close to home.

What did we do? First we started by discarding extra pieces of drywall into a dump box (?). Then we brought the extra wood to another site being built. Next we all got to use power tools!! We used the power screwdriver to tick (?) the screws. The screws were all in the drywall securing it to the posts, but our job was to make sure the screws were below the surface. If the screw missed the post, we had to take it out and re-screw it. It was laborious and frustrating work. I either didn't have enough strength to screw the screw in or couldn't find the post. After lunch, luckily we were able to do something else. We changed occupations and became electricians. Don't worry, there was no electricity running through the house. We installed outlets. We learned the difference between 12 and 14 gauge wires, and we learned to indentify which is the ground wire. I was much better at this so naturally it was fun.

We had a nice group of people. I've been volunteering a lot these days and I've found that you generally meet nice people. I have yet to meet a jerk on an assignment. The people for Habitat were really chatty and friendly. I didn't have time to get lunch ready so I brought a Dunkin' breakfast sandwich. One guy felt bad for my super unhealthy lunch that he gave me a yogurt.

Habitat is a great organization. They careful choose who will receive a house. The recipient must put in at least 400 hours of sweat time. Joy, who will receive one of the houses we worked on, has worked more than 400 hours. She intends to keep coming until her hours is done. She will be moving in with her two sons. It feels good knowing that work that you do is helping someone. It's definitely more gratifying than producing a headcount or a turnover report.

Fun pics from Egypt