THE STAY AT APA HOTEL KOBE-SANNOMIYA

APA Hotel Kobe-Sannomiya was the accommodation during my stay from 18th - 24th July 2024.

First of all, only one person was allowed in the room, and it was called a business hotel if I am not mistaken.

The room was really small. There was no space for me to move around. From the entrance to the window, there was only one small space for one person to pass. Perhaps the Japanese were trying to maximize the use of space so that they could have more rooms in the building.

Despite the size, the room was well equipped with all the necessary facilities for a traveler.

Even the lobby occupied a small space on the ground floor.

the view from the window: daytime

I realized, at night, when I looked out of the window, I could spot a sail boat and the word KOBE in the air (which were on the hill/mountain).

One reason I would stay at this hotel would be of its strategic location which was near to Sannomiya Station. The staff there were also quite helpful and they could converse and communicate in basic English.

[MY KOBE TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE [HALAL] GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE AT KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

   24TH JULY 2024    ~ The first mission at Kansai International Airport was to find this [halal] UDON restaurant I visited back in 2017. Nevertheless, I just could not find it and I found the whole airport was something different from the last time I came.

So I had to hunt high and low for any halal shops in the airport as I was getting hungrier after arriving before the sun rose. I ended up asking the information desk and was told there was only one halal eating place there.

Firstly, I had to go to this lane with the sign TASTY STREET [which I found a bit funny] where there was the food court.

There was a row of stalls selling all kinds of food but there was this only one stall with HALAL FOOD RESTAURANT sign, which should be a big relief for me.

I had a bowl of rice and also a bowl of noodles. Actually I had ordered the wrong food combo. Instead of buying either one, I bought both. I had to choice but to enjoy the last meal in Japan before leaving.

The gastronomic adventure at the airport should wrap up my trip to Kobe, Japan, this time. One thing for sure, I am going to miss all the real Japanese [halal] food after this.

[MY KOBE TRIP MAIN PAGE]

GETTING INTO THE SECOND 7-ELEVEN STORE IN PAKBARA

   22ND NOVEMBER 2024    ~ Before leaving Pakbara for Satun, there was this bigger 7-Eleven store than the one that was near the hotel where we were staying. We stopped for a short to see if there was anything that we could buy.

I successfully bought nothing this time - I just had the strong will of not buying anything unless it was essential.

7-Eleven hopping activity was actually one of the items in the itinerary list of the road trip in Southern Thailand. There will be more coming.

[MY HATYAI/SATUN TRIP MAIN PAGE]

MY BREAKFAST DATE WITH AN EX-COLLEAGUE

I had to be in school for the Angklung practice at 9:00 a.m. An ex-colleague of SMK Taman Universiti, Mr. Mohd. Sabri Salleh, agreed to go on a breakfast date when I proposed to him the day before.

We decided to meet at Restoran Warisan Noor in Taman Universiti. This eating place issignificant as it is one the restaurants that still remains in operation after many years. This is the place where many meetings with friends and ex-students took place.

It was only a short gathering which should be continued some other time, hopefully. It is always a pleasure to get to see an old friend once in a while.

 

BIDDING FAREWELL TO JAPAN FROM KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

   24th JULY 2024    ~ As I arrived quite early at Kansai International Airport, I had some time to explore the place. However, I found the airport looked different in many ways, not like the way it was back in 2017 [READ HERE]. Or perhaps, I could remember well about the place.

I was actually looking for a halal food store and managed to find one in the food court area. [READ ABOUT IT HERE LATER]

Japan should be a smoker friendly country.

There were still many vending machines found in the airport. One thing worth mentioning, the prices of the bottled drinks were the same with the ones you bought from the vending machines in the streets. They did not raise the prices even though the machines were located in the airport and this was consideration at another level.

I left Japan as scheduled that morning hoping that I would make a comeback, perhaps to other cities, in the future.

Farewell Kobe, Farewell Japan.

[MY KOBE TRIP MAIN PAGE]