Tunisia

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During my time cruising the Mediterranean, we pulled into the North African port of La Goulette, Tunis.  Unfortunately, the timing was horrible due to the recent attack at the American Embassy, but that didn't stop me from attempting to have just a little fun.  Once off the boat, I decided to go shopping at the nearby market.  

As I walked through the market, the smell of spices filled the air. The sound of mizwad and darbouka , a type of instrument that is commonly played in Tunisia, echoed from every wall. Mezwed is a very popular and traditional style in music in the region, not to be confused with mizwad, which is a kind of bagpipe. The darbouka is the Tunisian drum. The merchants were particularly friendly as they "guided" us towards their stores. During my time in the shops, I had the chance to purchase spices, amber necklaces, and other forms of assorted trinkets to weigh down my suitcase. I also had the time to grab a personalized hand-made ornamental plate. 

Passing all of the vendors, I happened upon a women weaving rugs. We starting talking, she spoke only a little english, which combined perfectly with our lack of any language that would have allowed us to communicate. But in the end I figured out that she wanted to teach me how to make a rug. As she taught me the correct way to hold my hands and thread each piece of yarn through, I suddenly grew a deep appreciation for her craft and ability to see a beautiful pattern where I could not. This was the highlight of my trip. To be able to connect with the people here, even for a short amount of time, it was quite priceless. 

Outside of the shops I had a chance to connect with a few of Mother Africa's creatures. I was allowed to hold and pose with one of the largest birds I have ever seen up close. A Falcon native to Tunisia. The strength in the talons of this falcon made me glad that its handler let me use his gauntlet. Birds of Prey can be fickle and demand respect, so our time together was brief.

I did, however, take the chance to ride a camel. Easily nearing five feet at his belly, I was on top of the world as he lifted me high above the crowd. Needless to say this was my first camel ride and by far the best.

View from the Port

Robot Restaurant

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Robot Restaurant is a Japanese styled cabaret show filled with excitement featuring huge robots, bright lights and lots of Sake.

So there I was... trying my best to stay far away from the tourist traps in Japan, but every now and then I just couldn't resist. After a long day walking around Shinjuku, I happened upon two large robots. 

The gigantic machines were advertising for something called The Robot Restaurant. As curious as I am, I just had to check it out online. Apparently, everyone but me knew about this place.  Anyways... time passed, I forgot all about the restaurant, and was pleasantly surprised to discover during a night out on my birthday that I would not only be attending the show... but participating.  

When you first walk in, the walls are covered in intricate mirrors with animals bedazzled with glitter and painted in beautiful colors. The path to the restaurant involved a walk down multiple flights of stairs where a stage awaited you. The ceiling was covered in LED lights along with all of the floors. Along the back wall, I caught a glimpse of the two robot girls I saw on the streets. Rollable mirrors, smoke machines, and laser-lights were strung along the floors and ceiling. The stage was smaller than expected, even though that didn't affect the performance.  During the show, they served Bento boxes, popcorn, and beverages for about 1,000 yen. The food is very limited to snack type food, so if you intend to eat a grand meal, I would not place too much hope in the restaurant for that. We sat in the second row, which it worked out great for me because the first row, in my opinion, is too close to the stage. You will be so close that you can almost touch the girls and robots.

During the show they asked me to come onto the stage. I would be the contender, "Kurisitaru" which is Japanese for Crystal. They had me place huge boxing gloves on my hands and get into the boxing ring with the robot. Poor robot... After a couple of minutes it was all over as I stood proudly over the K.O.'d robot.  It was so much fun. The music was loud and the lights were so bright that, unfortunately, I don't have footage of the destruction I rained down upon my opponent, but I managed to get some footage of parts of the show.

The price of the show ranges from 6,000 yen - 8,000 per person. Robot Restaurant definitely meets your Japanese standard Over-The-Top Sci-Fi Robot show. All in all, it was SO...MUCH...FUN. 

Tsukiji Fish Market

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One of the first things that come to mind when people think of Japan is Sushi. Exquisitely fresh sushi! My mouth waters just thinking of it. But I must admit, before moving to Japan I thought I was a connoisseur of fine sushi, i.e. "California Rolls" and I wasn't too fond of sashimi. Boy, did I have the wrong way of thinking when it came to sushi . Let’s just say the Japanese blew my mind!

So, I did a little research on where I could find the freshest sushi on the island. I mean, after all, when in Rome, eat as the Roman's do.  I found the largest fish market in the Tokyo. The World Famous Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場, Tsukiji Shijō) in the Chuo district. It holds an incredible Tuna Auction when the sun rises with FREE admission. Yes, I said FREE! But there is a small catch. Entrance is based on first come, first serve basis. And they only allow a little over 100 people at two groups of 60. So needless to say, I went to bed early the night before to catch the train to arrive at the fish market around 3:00 am in the morning. The auction starts a little after 5:20am lasting about 20 minutes long. If you missed that one, no worries, because there is another tour at 5:45 to about 6:00 am. This would be perfect for someone who is traveling from the U.S. and is too jet lagged to go to sleep right away. 

The show started promptly on time, as merchants from all over come to inspect the huge tuna checking for good color and size. The best part: Seeing the huge fish being placed in rows to be examined. The auction started with some guy ringing a bell for over a minute to begin the process. I couldn’t fully understand what was being said but I gathered that a lot of money was being passed around as Tuna after Tuna was dragged off to be tonight’s dinner. 

Ok, so I lied. There’s actually a better "best part". After completing the auction and walking tour, some of the fish was being sold right outside the market. That’s right, you can get the catch of the day in Sashimi style or added to your favorite flavor of delicious ramen for about 500- 800 yen per sushi. Once my belly was full of melt in you mouth sushi I realized it was still so early, but before I headed out for the rest of my Japanese adventure, I stopped in front of the market and purchased some chop sticks. They also sold beautiful sushi plates and sashimi knives, so make sure you pick some of those on your way out.