Senso-ji Temple and Hozo-mon Gate
We missed the peak of cherry blossom season in Tokyo by a few weeks but many of the flowering bushes were in bloom, giving color all around the city. We visited the Sensoji temple, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northern Tokyo. It is said to be the most sacred and spectacular temple in Tokyo. The temple survived the 1923 earthquake in Tokyo, but not the bombings of World War II. The main buildings have been rebuilt since.
Shuffling Off to Tokyo
Before I spent a major chunk of time in Tokyo, I felt like Hong Kong was the “NYC of Asia”. It had the iconic skyline and constant hustle that New York holds. After a week in Tokyo, it certainly gets the prize. It was an amazing experience that saw us go from the packed streets of Harajaku to the 5th station at Mt. Fuji.
Our hotel is the one in the middle. The lobby was on the 57th floor. Awesome.
Cam walking around town.
You have no idea how many people ask to pose for pictures with this kid. Ridiculous.
The view of the city from our hotel room.
Cam taking in the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo under the lights.
The 100+ variations of chocolate at a chocolate bar near Tokyo Skytree.
Cam and the skytree.
Our next post will be of our Mt. Fuji and Hakone trip.
Tulip Mania!
The Gardens by the Bay was having a Tulip Mania event in the flower dome. We took a walk up to enjoy the amazing flowers in bloom.
Many other plants were also in bloom. It is such an enjoyable place to walk around and take in nature.
Marina Barrage and the Singapore Skyline
As I mull through the 1,300+ photos from Tokyo, here was an easy edit and post from the Marina Barrage in Singapore. We took the short walk from our house to enjoy the sunshine during the day and decided to go back for the sunset and the super trees lighting up.
Needless to say, Cam was thrilled to be there.
To get to the barrage, we walk past the flower dome and cloud forest dome from Gardens by the Bay.
A look down to the fountain and the skyline.
A view from the other side with the river.
Marina Bay Sands and the super trees!
Sunset
The city under the lights.
My favorite shot of the night…the skyline with MBS and the Flyer with river reflections. Perfect night! You can even see some stars in the sky.
Phang Nga Bay, Thailand
With my mom in town, we decided to show her the islands surrounding Phuket and the greater area. We went cruising through Phang Nga Bay in the Andaman Sea. There are so many incredible things to see and we had a great boat crew to take us along.
We will start out with Cameron catching breakfast on the boat. He may have to get a haircut before the year is out.
Incredible cliffs jut out from the ocean all over.
This is James Bond Island. This location was used in the 1974 James Bond Movie, The Man with the Golden Gun, as the hideout for Bond’s antagonist, Francisco Scaramanga.
This entire town is literally floating in the water, buoyed by tourists coming in boats. It even has a school for the residents. Crazy.
We anchored on this private island beach where they setup a great lunch for us. Lucy was just taking it all in.
We took a dip to cool off after we ate.
Lucy and my mom took a jaunt through some caves on a kayak. Priceless.
The last stop of the day, to grab some rum and a swim.
Cruising back to Phuket, big boy was tuckered out.
The best cup holder money can buy. Thanks for making the trip Mom!
Another Trip to Phuket!
My mom flew into Singapore and we thought it would be a great surprise to take her to Thailand for a few days. We stayed at the JW Marriott, just north of the airport and it was incredible. You don’t have the hustle and bustle that the south of Phuket is known for it is very peaceful, clean, and quiet.
The room they upgraded us to was insane. Suite with a full backyard, pool, and covered bed area.
The pool had this “couch” built into the one end, so you could chill with your drink on the side and just soak up the sun. Cam and Lucy were loving it!
This kid loves the water. We are going to have to have a pool close by when we move back the States…maybe in our backyard?
Nana got some snuggles with Cam after his swimming adventure. These hooded towel sweatshirts are the bomb!
The beach was very peaceful, listening to the crash of the waves, hardly anyone in sight.
Also caught a nice sunset that night.
Lots more from our boating adventure in Phuket next post!
