Japanese Ghost Story

It was our last night in a small town called Fuji-Kawaguchiko by the mount Fuji in Japan. We stayed in a large hotel and had one of those beautiful, traditional rooms with tatami area. The room was huge and we loved having the chance to experience this side of the local culture. Our four day stay in the hotel was pretty much perfect until things started to take a strange turn...

Mount Fuji

Fuji-Kawaguchiko & mt. Fuji

We had packed all our things and were ready to check out the next morning to continue our journey to Kyoto. It was around 22.00 and we were preparing to go to sleep. I walked pass the large hallway we had in our apartment-type room and saw that the light was on in the toilet. Tony was in the living room with me and no one else was in the apartment. Besides, the light in the toilet was automatic, turning on when you enter and turning off shortly after you leave.
Yet the light was on and no one had been in there for a long time.

I went to check what was going on yet couldn't open the door. It was locked from the inside. I tried a few more times, hoping it was stuck but we had no issues with any of these sliding doors before, everything was in a perfect condition. Still, the door was not opening.

Tony took his swiss army knife and finally managed to open it. The room was empty, the light was on but the little, colorful toilet-seat cover for children had moved. I had paid attention to the seat before because it was super colorful, unlike anything else in the room. The seat was placed against a wall near the sink but as soon as we managed to unlock the door, the seat was facing a different wall. It had moved across the room. I tried to think if maybe the cleaner had moved it during the day but I'm pretty convinced I would have noticed it when we came back from our hike earlier that day. Tony was convinced it was the cleaner who had moved it but I really don't think that was the case. I would have noticed it before.

Bedroom

I then stepped inside to test the door. I tried to slide it quite fast a couple of times to see if it's possible for the lock to magically turn on it's own but it didn't even nudge. I actually had to turn the lock quite hard to be able to lock the door. So I stepped out of the room, closed the door and waited for a minute to see the light turn off, and it did. I checked the rest of the rooms and systematically closed every single sliding door and checked that all the lights were off. Eventually, I turned the air-conditioning to +19, as we always do in hotels.

Good night, sleep tight!

It felt a bit strange to sleep in that room that night.Tony was trying to be very logical saying that there is an explanation to all these things, which I really didn't buy.

A couple of hours into the night I woke up. It was incredibly hot in the room. After tossing and turning for a while I got up to check the air conditioning. It was on +28.
I was annoyed. Whatever was going on in the room was really driving me mad. I was tired and was not going to let any supernatural occurrence mess with my sleep. I turned the air conditioning back to +19 and went back to bed.
About two hours later it was on +28 again.

The morning arrived and no long haired girls had crawled out of the TV. I went to wash my face and as I opened the bathroom door I noticed that the second door, connecting to the private in-room hot spring tub, was wide open. It wasn't open just a little bit but all the way. Wide open. Before going to bed the previous night I made sure that all doors were closed yet in the morning one was open. I checked with Tony, if maybe he went there earlier but he didn't get up all night.

So there we were, in our possibly haunted hotel room in the tiny town of Fuji-Kawaguchiko. I always expected that if I ever experience something supernatural it would, at least, include switching lights and creaking floors. Even though the lights sort-of switched it was still relatively normal, if you consider self-locking and self-sliding doors as well as creepily malfunctioning air conditioning normal in a country where nothing was ever broken. Is it really possible that all these things just suddenly stopped working in one pretty normal hotel room in a 5-star hotel? Especially, like I mentioned few sentences ago, nothing was malfunctioning in Japan during our two week stay. Everything worked no matter where we went. But here, on that one night, in this hotel room, it all just fell apart?  

Looking happy, feeling creepy

Traditional breakfast

No one crawled out of the TV like in the Japanese horror movie Ringu, but someone did want to make us aware we were definitely not alone in that room. 

Tony still hasn't come up with a logical explanation to all of the strange things that happened but he's still claiming there would be an explanation. I will let you know if he comes up with one.

Fuji-Kawaguchiko

Hiking on a Volcano, Kaaha and Hilina Pali trails

Hilina Pali Overlook, Kaaha trail, Hilina Pali trail

The Big Island on Hawaii has some amazing hiking trails. We picked Kaaha trail because it's crossing an old lava field and you get to walk by the ocean, also the length and level of difficulty were all key factors for us. The hike was a little more demanding compared to what we expected even knowing it was categorized as intermediate / hard. We were tremendously happy we didn't pick a longer trail because by the end of the day we were absolutely exhausted. Happy but exhausted. 

We chose this trail at the Backcounty office near the Kilauea Visitor Center. We had a quick chat with one of the employees who registered us for the hike. I'm not sure if registering is necessary for a day hike but they do prefer to keep track of hikers in the region in case something happens. For overnight hiking and camping registering and permits are necessary. For more infomation see https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/hike_kaaha2.htm.

Ka'aha

Hilina Pali overlook on Hawai'i

Hilina Pali overlook

This 12km trail starts at the Hilina Pali overlook where you can see the entire lava field and the pacific ocean. There are some signs pointing out the trails at the beginning of the trail but you do need a good map to be able to follow the trails as there are no marks or signs elsewhere. There are two trails starting from the overlook, Hilina Pali and Kaaha trail and by combining these two trails you get a nice loop trail. This hike took us about 8 hours (started around 10.00 and were back at the parking lot around 18.00) as we stopped to take photos and had a longer lunch & swim break by the ocean. You could probably walk it faster with shorter breaks.

Trails on Google maps

The trail starts with a deep descent which takes much longer than you probably expect. The path is basically just small rocks, all downhill, switching back 24 times.


Be aware that even though it might not be very hot elsewhere on the island, it was extremely hot on the lava field. Not sure what caused it but we definitely underestimated the heat. The lava field is basically all rocks and you should pay attention to hollow lava tubes beneath the ground and try and follow the trail. Keep your eyes open and do peek inside the caves and tubes. Super interesting!

 

After descend

Lava tubes from past eruptions

Made it to Kaaha! Time for lunch and a dip in the ocean!

The hike gets slightly easier when you see the reward in front of you in the shape of a shed (finally some shade from the sun!), a toilet and tide pools! We had a long break here having lunch and swimming. It was such a refreshing experience! I've read about people having seen turtles here. We didn't have such luck but do bring your snorkels, if possible!

Swimming in a tide pool!

After returning to the trail, you walk along a trail with hay up to your knees. At this point we really missed long pants. Shorts were a bad idea. The heat, humidity and the hay were a bad combination. This was also the toughest part of the hike as it was afternoon and the sun was at it's hottest, we lost the trail and were running out of water. We had about four liters of water in total, which was way too little in that heat. Looking at several trails in the hay we obviously were not the only ones who had lost the way. I'm not even completely sure if we eventually found the Hilina Pali trail or if we just walked towards the hill in front of us, but we did make it back and started the ascend, the never-ending zigzag from hell. 

We were incredibly exhausted, taking breaks every five minutes. The sun was setting and we were in a hurry to make it back to the car before it set completely. There is literally no light anywhere and the Hawaiian nights are pitch black. We often record short video clips along our travels, and I must say that on the clip we shot somewhere along the ascend we sound like two exhausted three-years old's. Looking back, it's funny, at that moment it was far from it. 

When we finally got up the hill and saw our car (and remembered we had a big bottle of water in the trunk) we just started laughing, it was truly a moment of happiness. Don't get me wrong, looking back at the hike, I would do it again anytime but next time we'll bring more water, long pants and hiking sticks. 

Volcano Village

Hawaii, Big Island

Enjoying the Hawaiian sun by the pool of our great Waikiki hotel surrounded by skyscrapers and listening to the waves of the Pacific ocean was a great way to start off our trip to Hawaii but the best part began when we headed off to the Big Island, officially called Hawai'i. 

Hilo

The Big Island is the island for someone who enjoys hiking and the wonders of nature such as volcanoes, mountains, flora and fauna all on one island. There are beaches, shopping centers, bars and restaurants but it all really does come down to the nature of the island. There are 8 (out of 13) climate zones from tundra to desert on the island and they’re all accessible in one day! Our base was Hilo which is a small town on the east side of the island. We chose Hilo mainly because it’s very peaceful and located in between the jungle in the north/northeast, and rain forest and Volcano in south making it an easy driving distance to both.

Rainbow Falls near Hilo, Hawai'i

We arrived to Hilo on the 25th of December, the Christmas Day! It was a very quiet day. We hardly saw any people, most restaurants were closed and we only saw a handful of cars driving around. The tourist masses were at the bigger resorts, mainly situated on the west side of the island in Kona. To move around the island you’ll need to rent a car which is made easy and simple but be aware that it can get busy at the rental counters even if you’ve booked in advance as pretty much everyone needs to rent a car there.

On the road..

First thing to do as soon as you’re sitting in the car is to turn on the radio to start listening to volcano announcements which, to us, sounded very exotic! As the lava flow was somewhat near a busy road during the time we were there we heard frequent warnings about the areas that might be affected. Luckily the flow got slower day by day eventually stopping without harming people or business.

No shopping in Hilo on Christmas day

Hilo is a small town with approximately 40 000 inhabitants. The town has suffered some serious damage in three tsunami’s since 1940’s. If you’re in the area around Christmas you should book a table at the famous Christmas buffet at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. The food was extraordinary (except maybe the desserts) and the place was packed with locals! What a great experience! 

Kamehameha The Great

Unfortunately we didn’t get to try any of the other local restaurants as many places were closed during our visit. We only stayed three nights in Hilo and were constantly on the move.

Snack in Shoppe

Mr. Ed's Bakery & Akaka Falls State Park

Akaka Falls state park is definitely worth a visit. You'll see a series of smaller water falls as well as the Akaka itself. Walking through the park you'll see beautiful nature with some very unique plants and flowers.

Mr. Ed's Bakery near Akaka Falls

Mr. Ed’s Bakery is another great place to visit on your way to Akaka Falls. Mr. Ed is a retired geography teacher who is famous for his natural preserves. We bought Lilikoi (passion fruit) butter, Lime butter and jalapeno mustard which were all ridiculously delicious. I wish we had bought more! The baked produce were also absolutely tasty so make sure to stop by! 

Akaka Falls

Whale Watching

We have been trying to see whales all over the world yet have been awfully unsuccessful. Our luck turned on Hawaii and we finally got to see these amazing creatures in the Pacific ocean.

Successful whale spotting

Dream come true!

Lava fields & luxury hotels 

After a fantastic and very successful whale watching trip we were taken back to The Shops at Mauna Lani, an open air shopping center, we picked up a delicious sushi lunch from one of the shops and headed to one of the beaches at Kiholo Bay. This is where it gets pretty incredibly awesome: we followed a path leading to the beach while a group of wild goats were enjoying their lunch. We took a refreshing dip in the sea and ended up laying on the beautiful black sand, eating the fantastic lunch (wraps and sushi) while watching whales jumping in the ocean not far from the shore. It was one of the best moments ever!

Volcanoes and lava tubes

Collapsed lava tube

Driving south from Waikoloa, following the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway (19) you can also check out the enormous collapsed lava tubes.

Driving up Kauna Kea

In the evening, about an hour or a little more before the sunset we started our journey to the Mauna Kea summit, 4,207 m. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano with magnificent views! It took us little longer than expected as we had to stop every now and then to admire the view. Make sure you are on time, the sunset is definitely worth spending some extra time on the mountain. Right after the sunset, people start lining up for the telescopes. You also have a viewing of a short documentary explaining the history of Mauna Kea as well as some background on the telescopes and there’s a small café which is great because if you are not prepared you will probably want to buy a cup of hot tea to warm you up! Pretty soon after the telescopes are put away also the crowd disappear and you’re left there with a handful of photographers and star gazers.

Photo of people taking photos

On top!

Volcano village & Volcanoes National Park

There are many hiking trails for hikers of all levels (even accessible routes) on the Big Island. You can spend weeks exploring the waterfalls, valleys and beaches. We mainly concentrated on hiking around Volcano (the village) as well as Volcanoes National Park. The national park is very popular and you will see a lot of people on pretty much any trail you take. For longer trails on which you need to stay the night it is mandatory to register at the park’s ranger. Make sure you do this on time as they aren’t always at the office. Registration is very important as things can take a dangerous turn fast and you might need to be saved from whatever the situation is; you’re on an active volcano, after all.

Inside a lava tube

Hot and steamy lava field

...and it's active!

Even though Volcano looks small and remote, you have plenty of accommodation options from luxury B&B villas to treehouse cottages. We were lucky to find a fantastic B&B that made our stay perfect with heated bed and beautiful location right smack in the middle of the rainforest. Two days in Volcano was ok but I really wish we had a day or two more because of the fantastic hiking grounds. Also, make sure you visit the Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center for information, maps and advice. There are also a couple of restaurants in Volcano, the best of which are Kilauea Lodge & Restaurant (slightly fancier, reservation required) and Lava Rock Café.

Our fantastic B&B

In the future we are hoping to hike all the way up to Mauna Loa. On this trip we only drove up to an undefined elevation which was high enough to turn on the heating in the car and wear a jacket. For a proper hike you should have proper (thermo) gear as the temperature drops below 0 celcius in the evenings and sometimes you even have snow on top of the volcano.

Skopje, FYR Macedonia

Destination: Skopje, FYR Macedonia
Time of travel: August 2014
Duration: 10 days in total
Travel plan: Thessaloniki, Greece - Skopje, FYR Macedonia - Prizren, Kosovo - Sofia, Bulgaria - Skopje - Thessaloniki.

Stone Bridge and Archeological Museum of Macedonia

Some time ago I wrote about our epic taxi ride from FYR Macedonia all the way down to Thessaloniki, if you haven't read it yet, click on the link and read it now. This time let’s go all the way back to take a look at the time we spent in Macedonia itself. We did a multi-destination trip starting from Thessaloniki as there were no direct, reasonably priced flights to Skopje.  From Thessaloniki we took a bus to Skopje as our initial plan to rent a car fell through – turned out the Greek car rental companies don’t allow you to drive to many of the neighboring countries! The bus ride was easy and comfortable so it doesn’t really make much difference. From Macedonia, you can rent a car and drive to pretty much any country you wish (with some exceptions, i.e Albania)!

Blend in and explore!

Get lost in the old part of the city

We had no idea what to expect. The pictures we saw looked peculiar and didn’t seem to make much sense. Huge monumental white pillar buildings next to Ottoman style wood plank houses surrounded by soviet style apartment complexes? It quickly started to make sense when we walked through the beautiful yet small city center of Skopje. Our most favorite part of the city was the Ottoman part where you really get a sense of history and authenticity all around while eating some of the fantastic food! 

Sunset over Skopje

Like all over the Balkans, you get a great sense of east and west colliding which makes your experience that much deeper. It’s quite fascinating to walk in the Ottoman part of Skopje dining at the tiny eateries with the locals and then walk across the bridge to more modern part of the city to have a Mojito by the river. If you want to go local, try white wine with ice and a squeeze of lemon juice!

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The Warrior on a Horse, aka Alexander the Great statue

Skopje is compact and very pleasant to explore. It’s small so a couple of days is more than enough to see the sights and do some shopping. Make sure to take a trip outside the city to one of the smaller towns in FYR Macedonia or further away to the neighboring countries such as Serbia, Kosovo, Albania or Bulgaria. You can easily make a day trip to the south of Serbia or Kosovo and drive back to Skopje for the night. FYR Macedonia is a very affordable destination in accommodation, car rental as well as food. Leave space in your suitcase as you will most likely be able to make some great finds in Skopje, especially if you are into wine and shoes. Macedonia is also a safe destination and many locals speak English, Russian or German. You'll meet lots of authentic, warm people and many religions living side-by-side which makes it an easy and a friendly place to visit. 

Pillars, pillars everywhere!

The Macedonian roads were not in the best shape but they're not the worst either. Also traffic was most sensible in the region and no one attempted to kill us in one of those crazy overtaking frenzies. Make sure to reserve some time to enjoy the scenery!

Skopje Aqueduct

Bulgaria ahead!

Recommendations:

Buy spices such as paprika and chili powder from the Zegin Bit Pazar (local outdoor market). They are authentic and natural – and incredibly high quality and delicious! At the market you can also try locals hams, cheeses and vegetables. The vendors are very friendly and generous!

Eat local dishes such as kebapi, shopska salad or one of the ridiculously delicious meat pies. The food is very similar to the neighboring countries, so if you love the balkan food, you'll surely love Macedonian food also!

Walk along the ancient city walls and explore the old fortress (6th century) and get lost in the old town!

Most Perfect Weekend in Brussels - eat your way through the city!

We often find ourselves walking the beautiful streets of Brussels and keep on going back time after time for a quick, easy and also a romantic weekend getaway. These are two of our favourite walks to enjoy in good company and great food!

It cannot get more delicious than this - Belgian waffle with Nutella and strawberries!

Saturday

We love to stay at The Augustin. The hotel has quite a remarkable staff, comfortable rooms, delicious breakfast and a great location. It's a small boutique hotel with lots of class. They managed to impress us so much that I doubt we'll be staying anywhere else in Brussels anytime soon. Their service level is incredibly high and they respect their customers. That's why we go back and are happy to spread the word!

Have a glass of wine at Le Cercle Des Voyageurs. They also serve some nice food, the menu is a mix of different continents which makes it quite fun! The food is good and service fast & friendly.

Le Cercle Des Voyageurs is located a couple of minutes from the Grand Place on Rue des Grands Carmes, 18.

Perfect spot to write some cards to send to the family

You might be tempted to skip the crowds of  Rue de l'Etuve but don't! This is the street corner where you'll find Manneken Pis but more importantly (for your stomach) there's also several waffle stands side-by-side. We definitely recommend the Caramel et Chocolat, it's a black framed small shop selling chocolates and waffles. It's not as crowded as the rest of the stands in this corner but don't be fooled. The waffles taste absolutely delicious and the service comes with a smile which isn't the case with some of the more popular stands in the area.

Take a walk across the city center / Grand Place to the direction of Mont Des Arts to enjoy a beautiful view over the city and pop in to one of the art galleries, shops and museums in the area. Brussels is a great shopping destination for just about anything. There's also a fantastic selection of museums, all pretty much near to one another. You can find Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Musical Instruments Museum, Coudenberg Museum or the Royal Palace, to mention a few.

True Brussels

Museum of Natural Sciences is slightly further, in between Mont Des Arts and a wonderful restaurant, Au Cor de Chasse. Great places to combine by first visiting the museum and then continue to have a lovely dinner at Au Cor de Chasse.

Au Cor de Chasse is located in Avenue des Casernes 21.

The changing menu

All reserved!

Although a little further from the city center, Au Cor de Chasse is a restaurant we keep returning to. It's managed by a Portuguese & Brazilian couple who prepare their favorite dishes in their tiny neighborhood restaurant. Without a printed menu, you'll be getting some of their most successful dishes that are written down on a board. The owner will introduce the menu and explain every dish personally. The restaurant is tiny, only has 5 tables so be sure to make a reservation. After dinner you can either take a walk back (about an hour long) or ask the restaurant to call you a taxi (15 min, 15-18€ from the restaurant to hotel The Augustin).

Sunday

Brussels is such a wonderland for someone with a sweet tooth and love towards everything beautiful! A Sunday walk at Grand Sablon is a must! Drop by Godiva to buy some white chocolate covered strawberries, continue to Pierre Marcolini for a box of incredible macarons and pop in to Ladurée for a glass of champagne and a pastry.

Continue walking further up to Square du Petit Sablon to view the beautiful statues of different historical professions and continue walking towards the Royal Palace and the Brussels Park. 

After enjoying the Royal Quarter, walk down towards the Mont des Arts - because it's worth visiting over and over again!

The Royal Palace, Brussels