Take a Vacation

[CJF]

Do you think there is plenty to do over 2 week? I was debating whether to go to China for a few days of the 2 weeks ,just curious on your thoughts

If you're going to China, do it during your Manila time. Manila sucks.

[Maximus]

If you're going to China, do it during your Manila time. Manila sucks.

Manila time is remote work in the office there

[CJF]

Manila time is remote work in the office there

So US hours?

[BigFatMeanie]

If you're going to China, do it during your Manila time. Manila sucks.

Agree with this. Manila is the armpit of Asia.

[myboynoah]

Tokyo and Kyoto are a must.

Consider climbing Mt. Fuji.

Consider seeing Nara also. Close to Kyoto.

Served my mission in Osaka. You will want to see the Osaka Castle. They have a nice aquarium with a captive whale shark. The food in Osaka is great.

You should consider a stop in Hiroshima. And go to Miyajima while you are there.

Unfortunately, Fuji won't be accessible until late June/early July.

[Maximus]

Tokyo and Kyoto are a must.

Consider climbing Mt. Fuji.

Consider seeing Nara also. Close to Kyoto.

Served my mission in Osaka. You will want to see the Osaka Castle. They have a nice aquarium with a captive whale shark. The food in Osaka is great.

You should consider a stop in Hiroshima. And go to Miyajima while you are there.

thanks for the advice! Hiroshima definitely seems like it should be on the list.

[cougjunkie]

thanks for the advice! Hiroshima definitely seems like it should be on the list.

Where is Fusnik when you need him. He just returned from Japan about 2 weeks ago. He raved about Hiroshima.

[Maximus]

I agree with Lebowski that Nara/Kyoto is a must. Kinkakuji and the old castles are cool.

In Tokyo, early/mid May is when the Summer Sumo basho happens. The first Japanese yokozuna (top rank) in about 20 years (lately it's been all Mongolians) was just promoted 2 months ago, and in the tournament just ended yesterday, he won top prize, despite getting a bad shoulder injury on day 13 of the 15-day tournament. So interest in sumo is up.

I also like the Ginza area. They close the main streets on Sundays, and you can stroll all over, eating at some awesome restaurants, shopping, people watching, etc. Your kids would love toys from the Hakuhinkan Toy Park, which has all kinds of funky Japanese-specific toys. You can catch Kabuki in the area, too, if you're into that kind of thing.

Summer Sumo basho definitely sounds cool. thanks!

[mtnbiker]

I spent 9 months on Okinawa on my mission. I wish I could go back and go scuba diving. We took a bus one day to Hyakuna Beach, and the water had some pretty amazing colors. I'm guessing the sea life is pretty amazing, too. http://www.reefencounters.org/

[falafel]

My mom just sent me and my siblings the following email:

My Dearly Beloved Children,



That is how I always think of you. I’m afraid I have some bad news. Dad and I are both dying. I don’t know how much longer we have. I hope you will help us realize our fondest dream, to go on a family vacation! Put your pointy little heads together and MAKE IT WORK!!! Surely you can each find time to spend with your elderly parents before it is too late. Remember, there is nothing more important than family.

Hugs and Kisses,

Your Mother

P.S. I won’t hesitate to cut you all out of my will.

What the hell?!

[Katy Lied]

Still planning an epic vacation in Samoa. I told my dad that our schedule is super tight, and that he can go swim in a waterfall, or go to church on Sunday. He picked swimming, which surprised me. I guess he feels the same way that I do about vacation church.

I ran down some itinerary options, and Dad said he was good to do all of it, except he was not interested in getting a tattoo. "But," I protested, "it will be in the authentic Samoan style, with primitive tools and design." No. "But everyone in the family is getting one." No. "But they will be only the size of a dime, and you can put it on the soles of your feet." No. "But it will feature our family amakua, so it will mean something significant." At that, he snickered. "Our family doesnt have an amakua, and if they did, it would be a fruit bat." My rejoinder: "But those fruit bats are glorious, with a 4 foot wingspan." No.

Mom is on the palagi side of the family, so we hardly ever ask her about her time in Samoa. But she talked about it the other day. I was surprised about how bitter she was 40 years later. "Your dad graduated from BYU, with the same teaching credential that all of the other palagi teachers had, but because he was samoan, they (The Church Educational System) paid him half what the palagi teachers got paid. And the palagi teachers were given western style housing, while we were expected to live with Dad's relatives. How would you feel if this happened to you?"

Only after repeated complaints that his wife was a palagi and didn't expect to live in a fale, the Church relented and gave them a one-bedroom western apartment. It took months. Mom continued her complaining and in an attempt to distract her, I asked if anything else of significance happened during her years on the island. "Oh yeah, your legs turned all purple and I was sure you were going to die. I called my brother (who was a pharmacy assistant on an aircraft carrier) and he sent me some pennicillan, which was otherwise unavailable. My brother could have gotten court martialled for doing this, but at least you made it."

[Dwight Schr-ute]

My mom just sent me and my siblings the following email:



What the hell?!

You should cancel their cable. They've been watching too many commercials.

https://youtu.be/4_B6wQMd2eI

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jeff Lebowski]

You should cancel their cable. They've been watching too many commercials.

https://youtu.be/4_B6wQMd2eI

What a horrible dirty trick to pull on your kids.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thinking of heading north to Banff this summer. Maybe July or early August. Anyone been there?

[Shaka]

Who can tell me about Thailand? I'll need to SCUBA dive a couple of times and probably want to do the Phucket thing. What else should I be doing?