mybigadventures.com

We only had a short trip to Osaka staying just 3 nights although we'll be back for a night before flying home. It was pretty straightforward to get to from Kyoto taking only 30 minutes by train and so on our first day here we found ourselves with almost a full afternoon having got an early train and checked in by lunch time. We spent the first afternoon visiting the castle which was a short metro ride away. The castle has been burnt down a few times in the past but dates from 1583 originally. Inside there's a museum spanning over 8 floors with a viewing platform around the top offering fantastic views of the surrounding area. We finished off the day with another view this time from the Umeda sky tower which again was easy to access by the metro. We stayed for sunset and took a few night photos but the heat had turned it into quite a hazy evening so you couldn't quite see as far as you might on a clearer day. 

On our second day we decided to visit what is apparently Osaka's top attraction - the aquarium. It was a good aquarium with a decent range of sea creatures and a huge tank through the middle of the building that you gradually worked your way around. They had a special exhibit to coincide with the Finding Dory film and had some of the fish from the film in smaller tanks. They also had a fantastic range of deep sea creatures and some brilliant jelly fish. The aquarium is beside a large complex which amongst other things housed Legoland; there was a full size Lego giraffe outside but we decided to give it a miss. There was also one of Japan's largest Ferris wheels which we decided to visit the next day. We had lunch at the Luna café which is very close to the aquarium. It's run by a very friendly Australian and serves a range of Western food including cottage pie - we opted for a pizza which was very nice but very filling. Decided to have a rest back at the hotel before heading back out to take a few night shots. 

On the last day we visited the Shitennoji temple which has a five storied pagoda that you can climb up. It was very hot and the pagoda felt even warmer so we didn't stay up there long. It was a nice temple but there was quite a bit of landscaping going in and it looked a bit like they were ramping up for some sort of event. Afterwards we went back to the same place as the aquarium to ride the Tempozan Ferris wheel. You could queue for a totally transparent car on the wheel or get straight on. We decided to get straight on as didn't think it was worth the wait. We'd read some reviews that had suggested the same thing and it was going to be about an hour to wait otherwise. The cars were air conditioned which was amazing and offered fantastic views of the surrounding bay area. You could see Universal Studios across the port and inland flashes of lightning over Osaka which was pretty awesome. We had lunch in the nearby complex and browsed in some of the shops. They also had a small petting zoo type place in there with animals ranging from kangaroo's, a pig and several large tortoise, to rabbits, dogs and a llama; a little odd but pretty popular, we gave it a miss. We headed back out in the evening to see some of the lights in the nearby Dotonbori district which was only a short walk from the hotel. There were paper lanterns lining the river and the usual array of bright lights. There was lots to see with large 3d models on the outsides of restaurants. It was pretty busy with lots of people out for meals and drinks but a good atmosphere.

That's all for Osaka, next stop Hiroshima.

We set alarms to get up a bit earlier, not entirely successful but we were out just after 9. We headed the metro having decided it was probably the quickest way to get to the zoo, although we had seen the free bus also goes that way. We ended up waiting nearly 15 minutes for the train to arrive so it took a bit longer to get there than we had thought. We eventually arrived just before 10 and headed straight down the Asia Trail for the Pandas. Last time we were here, we had been unable to see the giant pandas so this time we wanted to give ourselves the best chance. We were in luck, having checked the live feed screens that show the 'Panda Cam' we saw one of the pandas outside playing with a ring. He was right at the back of the enclosure initially with his back to us, but he did get up and move around a litle bit before heading back inside. We decided to head on and see some of the other animals.

We started by revisting the earlier parts of the Asia Trail that we had skipped enroute to the pandas. The red panda was no where to be seen and the clouded leopard was asleep at the back of its enclosure, we moved on. We saw the American Bison, and then had a bit of a break on some benches, stopping for some water and cookies. From there we went to look at the Elephants and visited the small mammal house where they had a range of species including a sloth, some tamarin, and naked mole rats amongst others. We headed back up the Asia trail as it was getting on for feeding time for the Pandas so we thought we might get a better luck. When we arrived we found one of the pandas slobbing about on a hammock chewing bamboo, it was really close, which was awesome. Feeding time consisted of a frozen fruit so we stood for a while watching the Panda scoff its way through it and then walked along to the other part of the enclosure to see the other panda that was also out - amazing!

We stopped by the Panda Plaza for some lunch sharing pizza and crisps and then cracked on to see some more of the animals. We went in the Great Ape House to see some of the Apes and then walked on to the big cats. The tigers weren't out unfortunately and the male lion was asleep but the female lions were a bit more alert and moving around so we stood and watched them for a while before moving on. We headed back up the hill through the American trail looking at the sea lion and stopping for an ice-cream. Continuing on, we saw the American Eagle, and the river otters, but that was about it as we werent able to see the bear, the wolf or the beaver. Before heading out, we decided to revisit the bison, Dani had spotted a small yellow bird when we there earlier in the day, but I hadn't managed to get a photo, we didn't really expect to see it again, but suprisingly it was there, I guess they must be nesting nearby. There was a mention on some signs about the zoo within the zoo as birds, insects and other animals that aren't part of the zoo are attracted to the site. We did infact see a range of butterflies, birds and chipmunks on our way around. 

Feeling a bit tired we decided to call it a day a bit after 5. Despite not seeing everything, it really is a great day out and incredibly, free to visit, the enclosures are well designed and I would highly recommend a visit if you get a chance. We decided to catch the free bus back which went from just outside the metro station about a 10 minute walk from the zoo entrance. We had a bit of a break at the hotel, before heading to Nandos for tea, it's our last day tomorrow! 

Got up particularly late today - not surprising given our late nights! Took quite a long time to get ourselves organised and out. I felt quite hungry so we went into Starbucks - I’ve possibly forgotten to mention the number of Starbucks here - there are three within the actual hotel! Very nearly a Starbucks on every corner! This particular franchise had a limited supply of goods - Ben ended up with a bottle of orange juice and I got a turkey sandwich -  a little overfilled where the turkey was concerned but okay, if expensive. Sat in the corridor for a bit - sounds weird, but it seems to be the only place to access the free Wi-Fi in this so-called ‘luxury’ hotel. Checked bank accounts and totted up the money so far, and I e-mailed mum and dad as we haven’t been able to chat on Skype for a while. Not the comfiest place in the world to sit however, so kept it brief.

Then went in search of some ice cream - some quite elusive ice-cream, as it turned out! On Sunday, we had seen a Haagen-Daaz counter (Ben’s favourite chocolate ice-cream brand) and we wanted to get some. We thought it was in the Disney Palace, so checked literally every corner, in search of it. Had a go on the slot machines en route, but otherwise spent a good hour searching! Were on the verge of giving up in Disney Palace, and we were about to go next door to the New York New York hotel - when lo and behold, there it was! Success! To celebrate our achievement, we both had ice-cream - Ben had his favourite Belgian chocolate and I had peanut butter and chocolate. Well worth it! Sat and ate them in the very small seating area, before moving on.

Went across the pedestrian walkway to the MGM Grand hotel, one of the bigger and more well-known resorts. Have been struck by how much more interesting the other hotels are than ours; this one, for no apparent reason, had a rainforest-themed restaurant as you went in - I guess it adds a slightly unique touch. We went down into the casino and managed to win some money on the roulette machine. Result.

From there, we went back to the Disney Palace, to try our luck on the machines there, but had only limited success, with a bit more failure. So, decided to head back to our hotel and the trusty blackjack machines. Lost a little, but then seemed to pick up, doubling our money on roulette. I also accidentally bet $10 on one hand of blackjack, but it came through, virtually trebling our money!! Amazing! Cashed out and left it there. Went to the hotel’s public house, the same place we went to on Sunday, but this time with a two-for-one voucher, so the prices of the drinks didn’t make us wince quite so much!

From there, went to dinner. We had decided to go to Buca Di Bepo, an Italian restaurant, mainly because Ben liked the name. We had to wait about 10 min per table, but it wasn’t bad. It was designed for families - the dishes were designed to be shared rather than ordered separately, so we took the plunge and ordered an appetiser to share and then a main. Our bruschetta starter came with a large bowl of tomato and mozzarella topping, enough for the 12 pieces of bread that came with it. We then had a huge chunk of lasagne - rather dominated by ricotta cheese so it wasn’t quite what we had hoped for. Needless to say, we didn’t eat it all! It was okay in terms of price, but the portions were too big! We decided to call it a night after this, as we’d have a long drive tomorrow. Grand Canyon!