Hellloooooooo!!!!

After 2 long and tiring flights we're finally posting our first blog from across the seas - day 2 of our big adventure.

Day 1 - 05/10/09 - Melbourne (Australia) & Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

Today involved 2 international flights, 15 hours in total and although all we had to do was sit there, it really took it out of us by 8am this morning when we got off our second flight. The Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur flight took its toll, and we departed from the plane at KL for our 2 hour stop over, which involved a stretch and a drink, only to get back on to the same plane which then flew us to Tokyo. We got a bit more rest on the second flight, but it was hard (turbulance) and so when we finally landed here in Japan, it took us a little longer to get sorted.

Day 2 - 06/10/09 - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) & Tokyo (Japan)

We disembarketed from flight #2, made our way with the crowd to driverless shuttle that took us to Narita arrivals terminal (2). We had our fingerprints and photo taken (procedure), picked up our bags, got through customs and finally became "foreigners". We took a moment to compose ourselves, several moments to unwrap our bags and proceded to exchange our Japan rail pass vouchers for tickets and actual passes. We had no time for chat, and Japan's efficient system had us running for the train to Tokyo.

After the mad rush, the train from Narita to Tokyo was quite relaxed and we were able to purchase drinks from a lovely lady and her refreshment trolley that kept walking past us. Once our train arrived in Tokyo, we began to wonder why there was nobody at the station, only to discover that once we went up 2 escalators, there was no room to move amoungst everybody. We found a very helpful kind young lady at the information desk who showed us which train to catch to get as close to our accommodation as possible via train. This train was much more for peak hour traffic and therefore had less seats (and was a little less comfortable).

Once off the train, we began the 500m walk to our hotel - we were walking blind, alhough we tknew the rough direction of the hotel. Luckly Rhys decided to look down a street and saw the sign for our hotel, otherwise we may have been walking in the rain more than we needed. Our hotel for the next 3 nights is a traditional Japanese ryokan (sleeping on mats on the floor) and it is quite "cosy".

After going for a walk for lunch, it's now time for an afternoon nap before dinner. We will post some photos of the trip so far soon, but as we write this listening to Rhys and Erica snoozing, I think its time for a rest ourselves.

We're off to Tokyo Disneyland tomorrow :)

Take care - Jess and Scotty