Kiku... and other random thoughts

Last weekend I went to the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx. It turned out to be really nice. It was my first time there and I really enjoyed it. The reason 4 Japanese ladies ventured out into the Bronx was to see the Kiku (Chrystanthemum) exhibition. It always impresses me how Japanese will take something ordinary and will keep refining it until it's perfect. There were different types but the type I liked was called Ogiku or big kiku. They were about 2-3" in diameter as seen to the left. If you looked at an individual flower, the arrangement of the petals looked like someone with bedhead.

This need to seek perfection, is also apparent in other areas - food, clothes, art, etc. I just read an article saying that there are now microbreweries popping up in Japan. Although this is new territory, the article mentioned that there are already some really good beers that can compete with countries which have been producing beer for generations. Being Japanese, this is definitely something I can appreciate and be proud of.

Having been raised in the US, I feel a need to explore this phenomenon as well as other aspects of Japan. I want to know more about the country's history, culture and people.

Patagonia

I'm so excited. I've decided to go to Patagonia at the end of January. It's so vast and all the sights are challenging to travel to, I decided to go with a packaged tour. My goal is to get to the glaciers at Glacier National in El Calafate. Plus, I get to see penguins at Terra del Fuego. Torres del Paine is supposed to be beautiful as well with water falls and fjords. Yay. Anyone interested in joining me? Trip is from Jan 19th to Feb 2nd. The tour is through GAP Adventures. Anyone know if there will be a futbol game in Buenos Aires?

Seattle

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Seattle. I had a great time. It's really beautiful. I would consider living there if it didn't rain so much. U of WA actually has a program for out-of-state students who have S.A.D. You come in once a week (or something) and get exposed to a sun lamp. If you condition is really bad, you take one back to your room. So in other words, that's how 'frequently' the sun is out. I was told June-August is the best time to visit because it's sunny. The weather was actually pretty good while I was there. I even got to do some diving in Puget Sound. It's cold -- about 50F so I had to rent a dry suit. Once I got into the water, I just fell in love. The viz was pretty good, and there were so many interesting things to see. We swam along a wall with lots of nooks and crannies. Saw shrimp, star fish with 100 arms called the sunflower sea star, scorpion fish, sea lion, bull kelp (which I mistook for squid at one point), etc. I really wanted to see a wolf eel or octopus but I missed it. Some other people saw both. Oh well, I guess this gives me another reason to go back. At the boat dock, I could see Mt. Rainier. It's beautiful. The photo doesn't do it justice.

I really wanted to get close and maybe hike a bit but didn't get the chance. But I did get to do and see some cool things. (1) Took a tour of the underground which is the original Seattle but was built over, (2) went to Whidbey Island but it rained so I couldn't really see much, (3) went to see the soapbox car race after it was over and took photos of the cars, (4) met up for dinner with some friends who live in Seattle, (5) Pikes Market which I thought would be really cheesy turned out to be charming, (6) visit Snoqualmie Falls.

Seattle is great for access to outdoor activities - climbing, hiking, biking, diving, kayaking to all the little islands (which was something I want to do), wineries (not really outdoors), etc. But it has a decent night life for party people also. Some really good restaurants. I didn't get to try the local fare much. Huckleberry is big there so I tried huckleberry popcorn which was okay. I had crab cakes at Anthony's Pier 21 which was really good. Steak at Gaucho's which was good but nothing to write home about. If you do go there, I recommend getting the Ostrich steak. Really good and tastes like beef.

Carry-on Liquid Requirements

When are they going to lift that ban on liquids? Do they really think a 'motivated' individual(s) will be stopped by it? Instead of enforcing these cumbersome restrictions on travelers, they really should train the security staff to conduct smarter checks that include analyzing body language -- similar to conducting applicant interviews. Asking why someone is leaving their job or where they see themselves 5 years from now doesn't tell you anything. They can prefabricate any story. However, by conducting behavioral interviews, you can find out how the applicant thinks in various situations. This type of checking should be incorporated into the check-in process.

Found an interesting story on someone's encounter with TSA:
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=606142

Red Hook Ball Fields

Went to Red Hook this past weekend. At the ball fields, there are about 12 food stands serving Central/South American food. The food was so good we over-ate. When I say stand, it's more like a table someone brought from home. The food also looks like it was pre-prepared at home and cooked at the field in some cases. We started with a fried potato ball with ground meat inside. Then we had seafood ceviche which came in a small plastic soup take out container. It was stored in a cooler and they took one out when you ordered. The seafood sitting in a milky colored liquid but when you taste it, it's lemony and very tasty. I'm not sure what's in the marinade. It was excellent and it only cost about $8. Everything was economical. We then had some spicy corn with lime and fresh juice. I had the cantalope. I tried some pupusas which was like a soft tortilla with cheese inside topped with pickled pink cabbage. Last item of the day was the goat taco you see above. The meat was so tender and not gamey at all. It was so good. On the table they had tons of sauces -- red, green, with veggies, green with veggies, etc. Someone asked the vendor which was mild, she said none. They don't eat anything mild. It all has to be hot. That's really cool. I like how they maintain tradition despite all the media this ball field has been receiving. I have something to look forward to when I go to Mexico.

Home sweet home... I guess

After a short work week, all I can say is TGIW(eekend). I was busy so it went by quickly. I wish I had stayed an extra day or two. If the conditions were right, they were supposed to do a night dive and watch coral spawn.

On a different note, I just found out about Survivorman. It's like Man vs Wild without the TV crew and hotel. I haven't actually watched an episode yet but it looks pretty interesting. I'll have to see if I can find some episodes on youtube.

I really did end up in the paper!

As I say in my title, I really did end up in the paper. I couldn't believe it.
Don't they have anything better to report out about? So anyway, later that day, Jairo offered to take me to Arikok National Park. I was greatful since I kept getting lost to and from the dive shop. He took me to see a cave which was really cool and got to walk inside. We also saw miniature natural bridge which looked more like a plank. The park is beautiful and I definitely recommend going. It's so arid and different from the rest of the island. The outline of the mountain range is beautiful as well.

At night I was too tired to do anything so I headed back to the hotel and had a drink and ordered dinner in.

The next morning, I woke up at 6am to finish packing. I was planning to go back to bed but thought better of it since I was leaving that day so I checked the weather, my flight and email then headed out towards the lighthouse. There really is nothing special about it but it was the only site I could get to without getting lost.

Throughout my trip, Jonathan and I kept bumping into each other. We met while having lunch in the hotel during the hurricane. So of course it would be fitting that we would bump into each other on our last day on the island. We had breakfast at Matthews and parted ways. We were both headed back to NYC but on different airlines. And of course, I got lost on my way to the airport. Haha! Before going to airport, I decided that I needed to try at least one of the restaurants I wrote down so I went to La Graja, a chicken place and got 1/2 chicken with rice and yuca. It was okay. Flor de Mayo is better but I can say I had it.

Reflection: Taking a solo trip isn't so bad. I kept myself busy with my journal and book. I wish my parents were able to make it because they were really looking forward to it. One day in the near future, I will make it up to them.