My trip so far
My feet ache from all the walking and traveling. I have some blisters along the straps of my shoes. That's a bummer because I specifically chose them for their comfort and the fact that they are cool but strappy flip flops. So I'm taking the morning to stretch and chill out and do online type of stuff.
The flight to Narita was easy. There were hardly any people so we moved to better seats with more leg room without having to upgrade. I had to laugh as the flight attendants bowed before and after their safety talk. We flew ANA, and I tell you the service on that flight was killer. They kept walking up and down the aisle the whole flight asking us if we wanted this or that or whatever.
But yeah, Narita is definitely on my airport hate list. We had to disembark the plane and go through immigration and customs, of course. No problem there. But then, go through check point to have our baggage checked wherein their well deserved reputation for politeness rammed straight into their equally deserved reputation for efficiency. The fact that we were married but not sitting together gave them cause for real concern apparently. Listen after 20 years of marriage I really don't need to sit right next to him for an hour and half flight, okay? So that took some time. But then, having to go security once again to scan our carry on when we never left the sterile area in the first place got me really grumpy.
But then we landed in Osaka and it was a fairly easy airport to navigate. It is fucking hot out here though and sticky. We just missed our bus to Nara, so we decided to eat something. I was really surprised to find no menu in English at the airport. This is an international airport with tons of business men coming in every day. But those lovely picture menus made everything pretty easy. I had soba and the broth was nice and cold with a pleasant bite to it. YUM!!!
We didn't get to the hotel until very late and we had be up and about for around 22 hours already. So I was very confused by the fact that you had to insert the key into a slot inside the room to turn the electricity on. And damn near had a crying fit over it because I couldn't turn the AC on. I tell you it is FUCKING HOT here. And very sticky. (BTW, it's 10 am here and already 90F)
The first day here, we spent at Nara Park. We saw some of the lesser sights, since the conference Onyx is attending is providing us with a full tour on Sunday. Lots of walking, lots of heat and sweating and a huge heat rash. There was quite a bit of trouble getting cash. One bank flagged us. We were at SLC and Park City just last weekend, so obviously it was really suspicious that now there are withdrawals in Japan. Actually, good for them for keeping a close watch. The other banks refused us, because we tried to withdraw funds over our daily limit. Our fault for not taking into account the exchange rate. But now we has the cash and all is well. BTW, Japan is largely cash only. Even the conference organizers insisted on cash.
So now here I am, very happy that hubby is at work and I don't have to run around seeing everything under the sun. The only thing that would make me happier right now is if the hotel had a bar! I need chill time when I'm a tourist.