mybigadventures.com

I still had to go to school today - until 2:30 PM, at least. So, I left Ben at home with a tiny little list of jobs to complete…

Arriving home, I discovered Ben lolopping on the sofa with the laptop - ‘surfing the net’. Prompted into action, he leapt (slowly) up and we got on. We did some last minute printing, some last minute shoving-things-into-bags, and created some contact details for our neighbours. After a brief chat with Pete and ‘her in doors’ (next door), we made ready for the taxi. Having arranged a pick-up for 5:30 PM, we assembled ourselves and all of our baggage on the drive, ready for the off. Because we are slightly OCD, we took pictures of ourselves setting the alarm and locking up, for peace of mind and, obviously, for posterity.

Bundled into the taxi, we made it to the train station a full hour before our train, so we had a bit of time to people-watch. Dani bought some chocolatines from Sainsbury’s local for tomorrow’s breakfast, along with some Maltesers, so we sat and scoffed while we waited. The train was marginally late and it took us a little while to get settled (what with all our baggage), but otherwise the journey was fine.

Upon arriving at the airport, we skipped the queue for the shuttle (to transfer) and got a taxi for the same price of £7 to the airport TraveLodge. After check-in, we did have a few issues with the key card for our room, so we ended up moving rooms. The hotel is undergoing a refurb, so the decor was a little bit rubbish. Nevertheless, the room was fine and we settled in our room to eat some  sandwiches and crisps. After watching a bit of TV, we headed down to the bar for a pint. Headed back up to the room and settled into bed - the room had been pretty warm, but had cooled a bit by now. We had pre-booked the shuttle bus booked for 9:00 AM tomorrow (for the big adventure to begin, so probably time to get to bed. Cheerio, ta ta!

Well we've had a busy few days in Hakone so far. We're staying at the Hakone hotel which is in a great location right on the edge of lake Ashi looking out towards the mountains. On a clear day the hotel has a prime view of Mt Fuji but so far it's been too cloudy. The tops of the mountains have been covered in fog meaning no Fuji, nevertheless there's been plenty to do and we've been having a great time. We bought the Hakone free pass whilst in Tokyo which gives is unlimited free use of boats busses and cable cars in addition to free entry to a number of museums and gardens. Because we're on the edge of the lake, we're only a very short walk from where you can catch the sightseeing ships which take you across the lake to Togendai port. The ships that you catch are modelled on famous 16th century ships like HMS Victory and the Vasa and you're treated to fantastic views of the surrounding mountains on your journey across. 

Whilst here we've completed a loop starting from the hotel in Hakone Machi travelling across the lake by ship and up into the mountains by cable car. Up in the mountains was particularly cloudy on the first day with the cable cars seeming to disappear into the clouds. At the top of the mountain in Ōwakudani visibility was quite poor. The area is an active volcanic valley with sulphur vents and is well known for its black eggs which apparently add 7 years to your life so of course we bought 5 (followed by another 5 the next day).

We bought a few souvenirs before continuing the loop back down the mountain by funicular railway stopping at a at Goes Gyoen (garden) which was fantastic. We particularly enjoyed the glass craft shop and workshop which was giving demonstrations and appears to run classes. The loop finishes with a bus ride back to the hotel, though we stopped at Moto Hakone which is a port around the bay from the hotel for a few supplies from the seven eleven shop. We walked back on the first day discovering a park which lies between our hotel in Hakone Machi and Moto Hakone. Seemed worth a visit so we went back there today.

The park we had discovered and visited today Onshi Hakone park was fantastic. There were some great viewing points for looking at Mt Fuji which was sadly still missing in action (summer is the worst time to see Mt Fuji and statistically the most unlikely time to see it) There was also a range of topiary trees mossy pathways and huge stalks of Lillie's. To explore. The park was very quiet and seemed so etching of a hidden gem. We leave here for Kyoto tomorrow catching the bullet train from Odawara station it should only take about 2 hours and we can use our Japan Rail passes. Have a look at the photos, let us know what you think.

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UPDATE

On the day we were leaving we had the best table for breakfast overlooking the lake. Quite typically the weather was was looking much clearer and as we sat there eating breakfast, the clouds quite literally parted and there was Mt Fuji. Amazing, what a superb end to our time here!

Got up just in time for breakfast today and determinedly stood in the queue to make waffles. It was much quicker today and we managed to make a waffle each. Ben covered his in cream and chocolate sprinkles and I had a bit of cream with Cherry compote, and a small pot of syrup for dipping - quite successful! We didn’t burn the waffles and they didn’t stick! Result!

Spent quite a while packing up our stuff before loading it into the spacious car boot and heading off. We stopped off just down the road in Mariposa, as we wanted to take a couple of pictures - it looks quite Western in style, with lots of wood and overhanging balconies. Pretty cool!

The journey itself was fairly straightforward. It took about an hour to get out of Mariposa country and leave behind the winding mountain roads and then we hit the freeway. Long, long, straight roads with just fields for miles.

We stopped for some lunch at an out-of-town shopping centre in Tulare. We went to Denny’s and had quite a big lunch… Ben had a Philly sandwich - a steak and cheese melt with onions - and I had a hickory chicken sandwich, both served with a heap of fries. We both felt like we weren’t eating enough for our server, as she kept asking if we wanted anything else! Felt quite full, so went for a wander among the shops. Went in a few to check out the prices and compare them to prices back home. Went into Toys “R” Us and bought some Lego! A Lone Ranger set - pretty awesome given we haven’t even got the film yet back home. It was about $41.

Headed back to the car and went on our way. The journey was pretty straightforward, just long, and we had to stop twice for petrol. Decided to stop off again within an hour of LA, and stopped at Starbucks. Had a little chat with a trucker from Minnesota about cookies and went on. The stretch into LA itself was fairly horrific - a five lane interstate, with very heavy traffic. The Americans also seemed unable to give way, so moving lanes is interesting! It took about an hour to go about 10 miles! Ben was very relieved to get off it, as it made him quite nervous.

Found the hotel after a few wrong turns and got parked in the hotel car park, in the early evening. Checked in before recovering our stuff from the car. Because the hotel is in Little Tokyo, it has quite an oriental feel - possibly the poshest hotel room so far. Had a rest and then went for a wander around - ended up in Little Tokyo; looking around, we thought about getting something to eat, but everywhere seem to close just as we got there! In the end, we got some snacks from a mini-Mart and headed back to the hotel.

We investigated the Internet/Wi-Fi, but it was $10 per day, except in the lobby where it’s free. So instead we used the ‘business room’ downstairs for the use of the hotel guests, to plan for tomorrow. We also spent a little bit of time on the tablet in the lobby area. Went upstairs after and discovered our free Internet connection was still active! Get in!