The Stars at Night are Big and Bright in the Maldives
Any Texan can finish that song but few have seen a Maldivian night sky. Not only are the stars big and bright on a clear night, but they are out in abundance. This was just one of the highlights of the tiny island nation south of India. I’d looked at my island screensaver long enough, dreaming of actually being there, and after a year of the pandemic I didn’t want to dream it any longer.
I’d seen pictures of Maldivian islands, with their turquoise waters and picture perfect sand. So, if I was going to go anywhere during a pandemic, a remote tropical island was calling my name. It would take 8 flights and 4 covid tests to get there and back, but I would do it all again.
Everyday we explored different beach spots on the island. Except at the restaurants, it always felt like you had the island to yourself. Some beach spots had swings or hammocks in the water, or covered lounge chairs to enjoy the afternoon away. The restaurants, each with a different cuisine, were also spaced along the island, with shuttles always running to give you a lift.
One of the most amazing aspects of these resorts are the over water bungalows. The rooms were amazing, but this isn’t a place you spend much time inside. The bungalows have their own private pools, but another perk was just being able to snorkel right off the back deck. We swam, snorkeled, biked, ate, drank and woke up everyday being thankful. Not only did everything look like paradise, it felt like it too.
The hardest part of this trip was deciding which island resort to stay at. Each island has it’s own resort, as the islands are quite small, and they all looked amazing. For me, my search criteria boiled down to distance from Mali, price and resort activities. After all those flight hours just to get to the capital island of Mali, I didn’t want to spend more time on a boat or plane to get to the resort. I was also concerned that spending a week on an island that’s only a mile long and not very wide wouldn’t offer much to do, but I was very wrong because spending hours lying on the beach drinking cocktails is a very important activity!
Distance from Mali
Once at the capital island’s international airport, most resorts offer a faster, more expensive seaplane ride or a slower, cheaper speed boat. So, I decided on a 25 minute seaplane ride. The process was very easy – we were picked up immediately after departing the international flight, it didn’t take long to get to the seaplane terminal, there was a really nice lounge with snacks and coffee, and covid tests were administered right there. It immediately felt like we were on vacation. When we arrived at the Lux resort on the South Ari Atoll, it was everything I dreamed. Flying over from Mali was a stunning glimpse of the crystal waters and many tiny islands that dotted the ocean. Our concierge told us only about 6% of their guests are Americans, probably because the Maldives are literally on the other side of the world, but I’ll tell everyone that it was absolutely worth the travel hours.
Price
It’s gonna be expensive. But I felt it was definitely worth it. You won’t have any options to eat outside of the resort you choose, especially during the pandemic but the all-inclusive package included a coffee bar, snacks and an ice cream shop. Besides food and drink, non-motorized sports were available and daily activities (more on that below).
Resort Activities
As for the activities, well a week definitely wasn’t long enough. Ten days probably would have been better, although we met people that had been there two weeks. We rented bikes for $5 a day, even though the island wasn’t that big, it was fun to cruise around. There were different daily activities like painting, yoga and meditation, as well as a gym, a gorgeous glass enclosed library, paddle boards, kayaks, and a daily message in a bottle hidden with prizes, which we called the hidden immunity idol.
Although there was rain in the forecast everyday, it only rained once. Even so we still biked and snorkeled right through it. We could see each storm on the horizon but we were rarely affected. Really the sun is the biggest threat to side line your trip, so reef-safe sunscreen is imperative.
The highlight of the trip though was snorkeling with a whale shark, manta rays and turtles. The size of these beauties was breathtaking. We booked the three hour speed boat, but I could have done it all day.
Right off the seaplane dock, blacktip reef sharks, manta rays and large fish would feed at night. We could sit on the dock and watch the show beneath the dock lights, but this is not the time to swim! During the day you would watch various colorful fish, turtles and rays swim beneath the wooden walkways, from your breakfast table or when lounging in the over-water hammocks.
The Maldives is an island nation not to be missed. In the best of travel times, I’d visit and in the worst of times, it rejuvenated my soul.
Tips:
- Bring water floats to lounge in the shallow water.
- Do the snorkel trip on the speed boat if you aren’t a scuba diver.
- Bring aloe, lots of sunscreen, a hat, a rash guard; all the sun protection because you’ll need it.
- Drinks are hit or miss, bring the recipe for your favorite to help the bartenders out.
The Land of the Rising Sun from Mt. Fuji
I read everything I could about Fuji but the weather was the determinant. I was staying in Tokyo for almost 3 weeks so I hoped there would be a good weather window. The weather was actually quite nice, so I planned to go on a Sunday to Monday, in hopes that there would be slightly less pilgrims than a Saturday. There were still thousands of people, but I was able to have a few moments to myself when traffic started to thin around the 7th station. Fujisan is broken into 10 stations, and most people start at the last bus stop at the 5th station.
Like giant bunk beds, you had to duck as there was a layer of hikers sleeping above you. Many heads were bumped.
It only took me four hours to get to the hut via the popular Yoshida trail. I thought it would be 5-6 so I was surprised when I came up a switch back and there I was at Tomoekan, my hut at the 8th station. Since it was only 5pm I had some time to relax. I watched an amazing sunset and tried to sleep. At 10pm I still wasn’t asleep so I walked outside and watched a spectacular lightening storm in the clouds straight ahead. When I got back to Tokyo, I heard they had a wild thunderstorm. I think I finally slept a couple hours before my alarm went off at 2am. A lot of people were already geared up, but I lolly gagged because the trail sign said it was only 80 minutes to the top, and sunrise was at 5:15am.
The string of lights are hikers’ headlamps.
At 4:45am, I finally crossed the last torii gate that signaled the summit. That last 80 minutes actually took over two hours! The sky was just firing up and the excitement was palpable. I found a spot to sit and take pictures, and give thanks.
After a while I walked the trail along the summit which took me to the highest point on Fuji and I saw the full moon setting. It was exactly what I wanted it to be.
Finally close to the 6th station it started to flatten out a bit. I walked into the helmet rental hut and showed them my arm and said “Band-aid?”. They put some antiseptic on me (which is what I really wanted since I was covered in dust) and bandaged me up. I was happy again.
As I’m getting on the bus, it’s a 2.5hr trip back to Tokyo, a guy walks by wearing a Jack’s Generic shirt, a local Austin triathlon. And of course he’s from Austin but living in Tokyo now! Most of the people I’d seen in Fuji were Asians, but I wasn’t so surprised to see an Austinite, it’s a small world after all.
Tips:
- Take lots of cash for water, food snacks, postcards, and souvenirs.
- The bathrooms costs 200Y each, so bring coins as there’s no change available.
- Buy postcards and international stamps at the 5th station, and mail them at the post office at that station. You can also buy post cards at the mountain huts.
- There’s a website to help English speakers book mountain huts on the 7th station for an extra 1000Y. I missed the three day cutoff for that website, but was able to easily book myself for the 8th station and didn’t have to pay in advance.
- Take Band-Aids, or tape up your feet. They’ll take a pounding on the way down, or you may fall on jagged lava rocks.
Singapore slings and Bali beaches
Singapore
I have to confess I almost didn’t go to Singapore. My friend, Lynda, got a stellar deal on this specific itinerary, but since I didn’t know anything about Singapore I contemplated spending a couple more days in Tokyo. I’m so glad I changed my mind, despite the seven hour flight.
I didn’t really know what to expect in Singapore, except that they spoke English. Our two days there were jam packed and perfect. The first day we walked around the Botanical Gardens and then paid to enter the rightfully famous orchid garden. The orchids were some of the most colorful I’d ever seen, and worth the $3USD entry fee.
Chili crab is best eaten with friends and while wearing plastic food service gloves.
This was probably the most time all six of us were together, so we went looking for chili crab, one of Singapore’s national dishes. We knew it was going to be messy when we saw food prep gloves on the table, and it was. I also enjoyed a Tiger prawn and Tiger beer before I headed to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel; after two nights in capsule hotels, I splurged. The threatening rain clouds couldn’t even keep me out of the hotel’s infinity pool that overlooked the city 50 floors up.
Met A Space Pod – Capsule hotel. From this…
To this. Palm tree in the sky at the rooftop infinity pool.
The group decided to split up, so I spent about a day checking out the sites by myself. And there was plenty to keep me
busy. There’s a light show that runs three times each night on the bay for about 15 minutes, I watched it twice. The Gardens by the Bay also has a light show and because it was November it was Christmas themed. I walked over to the Gardens by the Bay and laid down under the trees to enjoy the show. The holiday spirit was upon me when I heard Mariah’s All I Want For Christmas! As I walked by the food court, I was surprised to see a restaurant called ‘Texas Chicken’, who’s logo looks a lot like Church’s Chicken. Mariah and fried chicken? I felt right at home.
Texas Chicken!
I hit the hay about 11:30 pm and set my alarm for 4 am. While we were walking around that first morning, I saw a banner for a women’s race that was starting right by the hotel. 
Problem was everyone I asked either didn’t know anything about it or told me there was no day of registration, but I had to find out for myself. I didn’t know the distance, how much it cost or if I would even be able to register but I knew it started at 5 am, and that I would be there if only to cheer on the runners. But God is good and when I showed up at 4:30, of course they let me register. The race would highlight a half marathon, but also included a 10k and 5k. I handed the volunteer all my cash which gained me a 5k entry and a feeling of home. To line up with all those ladies at a start line reminded me that we really are very similar. I couldn’t have been more thankful for that moment. The weather in Singapore was quite warm and humid, similar to the weather at home, so I ran quite well. After collecting my metal and customary finisher photo, I headed back to the hotel for one last dip in the infinity pool.
The best thing I ate in Singapore were these soft bread ducks filled with yam, and they look cute too!
I met up with one of my travel buddies, and we decided to take the cable car from Faber Peak to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is a touristy area with a Universal Studios, Wax Museum, aquarium, restaurants, and a beach. It was a pretty cool area, but basically the same tourist trap as every big city. While my friend did the Luge, I took a nap on a bench. Ten days of go-go-go was catching up to me.
This is not what I expected to see in the vending machine.
Prawn and crab flavored snacks are popular, as are hotdogs for breakfast.
Our last stop was the Raffles Hotel, the spot that originated the Singapore Sling. This drink has too interesting of a backstory to skip. Now we could officially leave. I recommend checking out that hotel, it’s beautiful and the gin isn’t so bad either. Now we just had a short flight to our final destination – Bali.
A bag of peanuts accompany your drink. It’s ok to toss the shells on the floor, but don’t get caught littering anywhere else.
Bali
We would spend our last three days in Indonesia. Relaxing on the beach was exactly how I wanted to end a long two 
weeks of traveling. The food in Bali was quite good and cheap. So, we ate well, got massages and bought cheap souvenirs. Our second morning we decided to explore more of the island, so we hired a driver to drive us around for the day. The first stop was a place to snorkel. After negotiating the price of about $25 for each of us we got on a little boat that took us to a nearby cove. I had to laugh when one of the girls asked where the life jackets were and the guy said back on shore because we didn’t pay for them. The snorkeling was just OK at that spot, but it was the first time I saw an octopus and that alone made it worth my $25. The beaches were quite nice but the water wasn’t crystal clear there like other places I’ve been. Apparently, those beaches are located on nearby islands.
It was our last day and I was determined to surf before we left. I stepped into a surf school and for two hours it only cost about 25 bucks. Although I didn’t really need a lesson, my coworker did so I joined in. We surfed in the white water for an exhausting hour and a half and it was a blast.
Time to get some souvenirs!
Now one more massage before we are off to the airport and head home. I had no desire to spend any time in Jakarta but our return flight started there, so we took the last flight out of Bali. We only had about 4 hours to sleep before we caught our flights home. I was impressed that the free continental breakfast started at 3am, I guess there are a lot of early flights. I wasn’t looking forward to the 30 hour travel time, but I was ready to get home.
There is an excessive amount of zeros. 100 Rupiah was worth about half a cent.
Tips:
- In Bali get a massage…everyday. An hour massage costs less than $10.
- Kuta beach in Bali has great beginner surf – give it a try!
- Be willing to throw away your itinerary if something comes along that moves you.
The Old and New Capitals of Japan
The force was with me.
Tokyo
It wasn’t until I stepped off the train and couldn’t read anything, that I thought, “How did I get here?”. But that’s what happens when you tell me you are going somewhere interesting. So be warned – I invite myself along. To be fair, I did give my sweet co-worker, Lynda, a chance to say no, and made her ask her sister, who was traveling with her, if it was okay. But I jumped at the chance to burn my last two weeks of PTO visiting Asia.
Tuna head in the fish market.
So, there I was – wishing I’d at least attempted to learn a few helpful phrases, but it was too late now. Fortunately, I had the address to my AirBnB written in English and Japanese, because I definitely got lost my first ten minutes of getting off the train. Turns out, this would happen many more times in the next five days.
For my first day in Tokyo, I booked a bike tour around the bay. I love being on bikes, but it’s also a good way to see a lot when you have limited time. It’s also nice to have a tour guide answer all my cultural questions, like where can I dress up like Mario and drive a go-kart around Tokyo? (It’s a real thing.) We visited some shrines, temples and the fish market, which is everything you’d image including tuna heads that weigh more than I do!
The following day, I decided to get out of the city. I took a train about an hour outside of Tokyo to Mount Takao. I wanted to go where the Japanese go to get away from it all, and I knew I was on to something when I was the only foreigner on that train. There was a helpful English pocket guide and info desk that explained the six different trails and other things I could find at the top, like a temple and some food. The most popular trail is a paved walkway suitable for anyone, but I chose a more remote trail. Each path has an estimated time from 30-110 minutes, and there’s even a chair lift to make it more accessible. It was a steep, beautiful autumn climb, and I was lucky to be able to see Mt. Fuji from the top despite the clouds. After a few hours hiking, I walked over to the Trick Art Museum across from the train station. I’d highly recommended going with one or two friends to take fun photos, but I still had fun by myself.
View of Mt. Fuji from Mt. Takao on a partly cloudy day.
We spent our last night in Tokyo at a capsule hotel, which is a unique experience. I didn’t feel claustrophobic because the capsule was much taller than I expected, but even t
hough you have a locker, there isn’t much space. It did have a double locked women’s only floor with free amenities, a robe, slippers and blowdryers. It was good for one night, but I was happy to move on the next day. We went to the nearby Anthony Bourdain visited Robot Restaurant, which is like a dinner show without the dinner and if you’d walked into the worst hotel in Las Vegas, and were on drugs. Some might disagree, but for me it was a total waste of $66 to watch pandas, samurais, maybe a dinosaur dance around the stage to a loosely based story about trying to stop robots from taking over the Earth. I didn’t get it.
Kyoto
The next day we took the shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto, and stayed at another AirBnB. The house was over 60 years with low doorways, lots of windows, and tatami mats (which are suprisingly comfortable). We wanted the traditional Japanese living experience, but we had to keep reminding each other to take off our shoes in the house. Wooden blocky sandals were provided, but for me they were too big and difficult to walk around in.
In Kyoto, I most wanted to visit the bamboo grove in Arashiyama. There was a lot we wanted to see, so after getting off the train, we rented bikes for the day (~$10). Did I mention I love riding bikes? I didn’t realize how touristy this area would be, but the exploding fall colors demanded an audience. There are a number of temples, but many cost a few dollars, and since we’d already been to a few for free we opted out. You could spend days just in this district. There’s a monkey park, a lake for boating and fishing, large temples, restaurants, and of course the grove path. We were told we couldn’t bike through a section of the grove, and we couldn’t even if we wanted to because there was so many people, and a number of rickshaws pulling visitors – it was like a strong man competition! After we got through the crowded part, we were able to bike again and it was perfect. I’d guess the path is a mile or two, so the bikes were a good idea.
I also wanted to visit the Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine after seeing beautiful pictures of the torii gates, so we left Arashiyama although we could have stayed the whole day. There are large signs announcing the shrine’s #1 Trip Advisor status for foreign visitors or something similar to greet you, and once we entered I understood why. All of the information at most of the shrines we visited are in Japanese, so while we could appreciate the beauty, we largely didn’t know the details. The Fushimi-Inari had handy QR codes in multiple languages with lots of info. This makes a world of difference if you are interested in knowing the history and significance of everything. We followed the never-ending path beneath to orange torii gates, which get replaced with bigger and bigger gates as one’s prayers are answered. I say never-ending because we walked up and up for maybe two hours, and still not even close to the top, and since it was already dark we turned around.
Prayer placards at Fushimi-Inari.
Our last day in Kyoto was basically spent getting back to the Tokyo airport. I took the metro to the shinkansen to Tokyo, and then to the Narita Express to the airport. The 50 minute Narita express is a great way to get to the airport from the city, but it only runs every 30 minutes, and while the trains run regularly we still barely made our flight. I got sidetracked looking for souvenirs in the Pokemon shop.
Eight kittens in a stroller. Just a regular day on Takeshita Street.
Japan, in general
Ooooh, the FOOD. While my knowledge of Japanese cuisine is limited, I was most looking forward to the food. And I wasn’t disappointed, except that when I left I realized I never even ate sushi! My favorite meals were
the shabu-shabu, and the ramen. The meals were all a lot of fun because they were more communal, except for the ramen. We decided to find a 24-hour ramen place for breakfast one day. After walking around lost for 30 minutes and asking many people, we finally found the tiny door that took us down some stairs. There we found a small vending machine with pictures of bowls of ramen. We selected the bowl we wanted and the machine spit out a ticket. We sat at a bar with little walls that separated you from the person sitting next to you. You can take these down, but we didn’t figure that out until we were leaving. The screen in front of me lifted up and all I saw were a pair of hands take my ticket. I filled out a form to select how much spice, fat (oil, I think it meant), flavor etc. and handed that to the hands, and then the screen dropped. It only opened again to deliver our bowls. We also ate yakatori, Japanese BBQ, curry, soba noodles, and many things I don’t know what they were. There just weren’t enough meals for all the things I wanted to eat.
Ramen vending machine. Photo credit – Kathy Tran
I can’t tell what these dishes are or what the difference is between them.
But it was the culture and people I found most interesting. The people are orderly, rule-followers, and concerned with not offending others. They don’t talk on their cell phones on the trains, and they don’t jay walk. They let you browse their shops without question and they are kind and helpful when asked. A stark contrast to what I’d left in the US in the wake of the election. Even during rush hour on the train, or on a busy shopping street, there was a calmness – it was safe. I never felt threatened, even when obviously looking like a lost female tourist – no one ever approached me – I had to seek out the help I wanted. And the country itself is extremely clean. But the most interesting thing is they don’t like dragon back tattoos (possibly this sign means any tattoo, but specifically dragons). 
To be continued in Singapore…
Tips:
- Get a pocket wifi. But know that even if you do and use Google maps – you may still get lost (or maybe that’s just me). But that’s ok, it’s part of the fun.
- Buy a JR pass before you go. It was well worth it if you plan to travel to other cities.
- Stay near the sights you want to see, so you don’t spend all your time on the metro.
- Yes, the flight is long (about 14 hours from Houston to Tokyo). Go anyway.
This is me lost. Also, there’s lots of 7-11s.