Started my week popping by Tatiana and getting my third and final set of NCTF injections. I sometimes wonder how I’d look if I would’ve stayed all natural? No lip fillers, tattooed eyebrows, lower face lift, Botox and whatever other injections I’ve had, and what color would my natural hair actually be? Too late to wonder about that, will just keep injecting, lasering, lifting, cutting and coloring hahahhaaa…
Had to catch up on a lot of work. Custom orders and the regular smut 🙂
As I’ve said before, Hunter likes to be involved and it’s not always helpful. Here he just planted himself in the middle of the shot and we had to take a 5 min break to pet him and finally convince him to pick another spot…
Had another class of lighting. So much fun to learn and it’s amazing how much you can change the feel of a photo with different lighting. We also practiced copying the lighting from different shots. I picked a photo of one of my favorites directors, Quentin Tarantino!
Some selfies from this week. I bought this awesome hair cap from Japan….
And this weeks pics of Hunter. He thought my bra was a perfect headrest hahahaa…
A couple of more shots from my shoot at the love hotel in Tokyo 🙂
Yesterday I came across my mushroom micro-dose pills. Decided to take one. Normally I don’t feel anything from them, but yesterday I felt it kick in. Had a good feeling and then later I got huge munchies and had to order pizza and snacks. Only overdid by a little on the sugar ratio LOL…
I did go to the gym too but forgot to take pics as proof, so you just have to take my word for it. That’s pretty much all I had going for me this week. Next week I have more work, school, and gym planned. How about you?
It’s good to be back, but damn, the jet lag is rough! Been to the gym twice and it feels like it’s the first time ever hahahah… Note to self: don’t skip the gym on holidays! Good to have Hunter jet lag with me, and he likes the Japanese cat treats I bought him 🙂
Anyways, here comes the rest of my Japan trip. Before heading to Kyoto I had breakfast with some people still left in town from the wedding. Not your usual eggs & bacon…
Then jumped on the bullet train that took a little bit more than 2h straight to Kyoto. Not a problem when you bring a few(?) snacks. The breakfast didn’t quite hit the spot.
Guess train rides build an appetite so I got a Wagyu burger for my dinner in Kyoto. Super tasty and it was nice to have something else besides sushi and yakiniku.
Strolled around after and checked out Nishiki Market at closing time. The market is packed with food stalls and other little stores.
Straight for coffee the next morning and starting with Goodman Roaster. Thumbs up!
Then walking in the rain and checking out what Kyoto has to offer. Everyone was on the look out for cherry blossoms. Wherever they were there were always people taking pics. Why should I be any different 😉Â
Then more coffee and tried Okaffe Roasting Park. Here they don’t rush to make your coffee. It was almost like an art form and there was always some latte art in the milk. Another superb coffee spot!
After a nap I headed back to Nishiki Market to eat dinner. WOW, the amount of people! It came to a total stand-still at moments. Tried some different seafoods and it was amazing!Â
Finished off with some sake at the room 🙂 Iit’s party-o’clock somewhere in the world, right?
Headed to the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine the next morning. I knew there would be people and I think half of Kyoto was there at 8am in the morning! Still a beautiful hike up and and lit a candle for family & friends who have passed at the top 🙂
And some things that caught my eye on the walk back…
All the fresh air, the climb, and heat made it necessary for a coffee stop and then a sugary waffle-thingy on top of that…
Walked by a place called SkÃ¥l which means ‘cheers’ in Swedish. Nothing Swedish about the place. Had to go in and check to make sure. Looked like they had good food so I decided to try it. The portions were really small, and super good, so I ordered a 2nd plate. The guy that took my order and payment looked impressed 🙂
Also found Stumptown coffee at a beautiful outdoor mall, bought a new perfume after a lot of testing, impressed by the selection of kimchi and noodles at the grocery store, bought a seal-vibrator at a sex shop, ate more yakiniku saw more shrines… And bought this superb second hand kimono for $15.
I loved all the great coffee places in Kyoto. For me it was the wrong time to be there as I think it was too many tourists. It was hard to get a table at restaurants at night because everyone was fully booked. I see the charm with the small alleys and maybe I would’ve liked it more if I visited another time…
Decided to check out Hakone on the way back to Tokyo. Wow, this was my spot! This is right after getting off the train and going to my Airbnb.
I was so excited to get a bedroom with the Japanese style where you just unfold a mattress on top of these mats. I sleep better on hard surfaces so this was perfect for me. I had to google about this and supposedly it’s a better way of sleeping for your body and posture. Maybe my future bedroom 🙂
Hakone is famous for their onsens. They are bath houses with hot springs. After I checked in I went straight to one called Tenzan. Wow, it was so nice and I liked it since they had baths outdoors. You put your clothes in a locker. No swimwear needed or allowed. Then you wash yourself and visit the different pools and saunas. It was so relaxing and it only cost $10. No photos allowed from inside so got these from their website. There were more pools, but my favorite was sitting inside the cave 🙂
Starving afterwards and decided to grab food at the restaurant there. I saw there was raw horse meat on the menu and went for the safe bet ordering fish, shrimp and veggies. The shrimps were tiny little things with shell, head, and everything. The fish was tiny too, but good. Maybe not my best meal of the trip but I had some chips and cookies from 7-Eleven after hahahha…
Was supposed to head out and see The Hakone Open Air Museum the next day. While I was having coffee I discovered there were hikes in the area. Opted for a 3 hour hike instead and it was a really nice trail along Lake Ashi.
When finishing I went straight back to the same onsen as the day before. Perfect after a day out sitting in the hot water just relaxing…
I wish I would’ve had more days in Hakone. Smaller and more chill than Kyoto. Not as crowded and there were more things I would’ve wanted to check out. I would’ve done hot springs every day! One can always hope to visit again 🙂 Took the bullet train back to Tokyo while snacking on chocolate shroomies 🙂
Dropped my bags off at the hotel and headed straight to brunch with friends from the wedding… I think I visited the dessert table like 4 times 🙂
The next day I went to a micro pig cafe. They have so many different animal cafes in Tokyo with owls, hedgehogs, capybaras and snakes for example. I started wondering if Hunter would accept a micro pig as a buddy, but I think he’s happy being the only one getting attention so it’s a no 😉 But they were very cute…
A photographer wrote me on IG and asked if I wanted to shoot while in Japan. Why not? Got to put in a little bit of work while travelling 🙂 I wanted to shoot at a love hotel. Basically a hotel where couples can go and hang out, (and more), away from home as many live with their parents. They have them here in Mexico too. You book them per hour. So after cuddling with the piggies I met the photographer at Lapia Hotel and booked a room. You get free popcorn and can pick a costume to wear too. There are vending machines for lingerie and toys too. Very cool! It was a great shoot and the photographer was great. Here are a couple of behind the scenes pics and a couple of shots I put on IG. More coming 🙂
I had initially planned to go to a snake cafe after, but opted to join some friends at a Muscle Girl Bar instead. It is just what it sounds like, a bar with muscular girls. You get a protein shot when you came in and for about $30 USD you could drink as much as you wanted. The girls danced, poured shots in peoples mouths for tips, did pole tricks and pull-ups. There was a whole menu for what you could buy for tips, butt kicking, face slaps, being sandwich between 2 girls (only for girls though) etc… It was a fun experience and the girls were fun.
I was pretty beat and a bit drunk when I made it back to the hotel. Put on a face mask and my April fools joke was that I had adopted this bird I found. I actually found it while shopping for fun stuff for my shoot and thought this birdie would look good on my head 🙂
The last day in Tokyo was spent walking around and I bought some gifts. Walked by the famous Shibuya Crossing, the iconic intersection. Traffic is stopped in all directions where everyone can cross in all directions…
Coffee break and spotted some cherry blossoms…
I got an reservation at Sushi Nakamura for my last dinner in Tokyo. A friend who spends a lot of time in Tokyo and loves sushi recommended the place. It was Omikase style with sake pairing. It was definitely in the top 5 of food experiences in my life! The sushi melted in my mouth. Also the first time I tried uni, but not my favorite. There was so much food ands sake I rolled/wobbled out of there hahahaa…
Needed a boost of coffee before heading to the airport so I relented and made a cup of instant coffee, having to use the free toothbrushes the hotel offered to stir it with. Very classy…
Took the train to the airport and the flight home felt super fast since I slept most of the way 🙂
It was a great trip. I’m amazed how clean everything is. Even the public bathrooms are spotless! No smell, no paper on the floor or drops of whatever (most likely piss on the floor)… And I love the toilets that wash all your holes, fan that dries you and some even had music that you could play for privacy! Also something I’d like for my home! A picture of one of the toilets where the water was filling up from the top after flushing. Or was it for washing your hands? LOL
The train and subways was the same way. No litter or stained seats. People stand aside orderly when you exit and even if it’s crowded there’s no pushing. Maybe due to all the signs they have up…
There’s also no smoking on the streets. There are designated areas, street corners or smoke rooms at hotels and malls. There was a lady who used clothing rollers to clean up the entrance mat at the hotel…
Here comes the usual leftover pics…
Such a beautiful wedding and great to see friends I don’t get to see often. I loved Hakone and hope to explore more of Japan one day.
Hitting the gym in a bit and got Lesha coming over later to teach me some more Photoshop and Lightroom. Got a lighting class this week too and hope my sleep will be back to normal any day now!
Japan is very cool with a lot of differences compared to other countries. I’m rubbernecking, people watching, eating delicious food, walking and looki-looing, drinking, shopping and I feel like I would need a month here to have the time to and see do everything I want.
Let’s start from the beginning. The flight was on a Tuesday a week and a half ago at 00.50. In my head that meant Tuesday night, before becoming Wednesday morning. Luckily someone who understands time better than me pointed out that it actually means the night of Monday. I found this out 24 hours before my flight. No stress though, and Hunter and I enjoyed coffee & milk in bed before he did his best to help me pack…
The flight was delayed so I grabbed some wine while waiting…
It was perfect to take a red-eye flight, and I arrived at 7am the next morning. Super smooth to grab the bus right outside the terminal into the city. Just checked the bags at the hotel and headed out. Had a Verve Coffee right by the hotel. I used to drink Verve when living in California.
Checked out Cat Street and molested a competing Puma 😉
This was an awesome coffee place – Coffee Mameya. It was a high-end coffee shop that only offered pour overs from different roasters around the world. You got a chart, your barista talked about the different options, and then made you your coffee pour over style.
There was also some sushi and pancakes before a ‘yakiniku’ dinner at Kokokara. Soooo good. Kind of like Korean BBQ where you cook your own meat and pickled veggies.
The next day I had a local guy take me shopping. There is a lot of options here and so many secondhand stores for luxury items. I was mostly amazed they have my size in bras here so bought some.
I then headed out on my own to the Harajuku area and walked around. So much fun and and packed with people!Â
Another yakiniku dinner… I could eat this stuff every day. I love the small spots with just room for like 10 people. I’m getting hungry just writing this…
Started Friday with coffee from Streamer Coffee Company. They have this seasonal special called Sakura Latte (for the pink flowers called Sakura or cherry blossom) with some pink sprinkle on it and I could’ve had a liter of it!
Then finally met up with some friends and Annie, the bride to be, and catched-up over lunch. I look like a pink panther next to Annie who’s always dressed like a supermodel!Â
More coffee and walked through Yoyogi Park. I thought there would be cherry blossom everywhere, but only spotted a tree or two here and there. People said it has been too cold and wet so they are late. Someone actually wrote me on IG yesterday and said that they are supposed to start blooming NOW. They better hurry up because I only have a few days left hahahaa…
When walking I came across a store with a Finnish name – Hyvää Matkaa. It means ‘have a good trip’. Obviously I had to go in and check it out. They even sold ‘vihta’ which is the dried branches of a special tree that you soak up before hitting your back with it. The best part was the chocolates, and I couldn’t resist buying some and ate them in 3 minutes!
Fancy sushi tasting menu for dinner. Luckily they were showing pics on an iPad of what we were eating because it was all in Japanese.Â
On Saturday while running around town I suddenly hear someone yell Puma. It was Mar who I met at the psychedelic retreat in Mexico in November last year. So crazy, what are the odds!
At night it was the wedding rehearsal and I got to meet almost all of the other wedding guests who were from all over the world. Went to a bar after and I had some tasty Espresso Martinis…
Then finally the big day for Annie and Nick’s wedding! I found a makeup artist on Instagram and Hanna was great.Â
The wedding was amazing! Short ceremony, photos after, and then a delicious dinner! I could consider getting married in this style LOL… Naaah, won’t be walking down any aisles and making lifetime commitments anytime soon 🙂Â
The day after the wedding I took the bullet train to Kyoto. Love the efficiency here, no f*cking around. Train leaves and arrives on time. I will write another post about Kyoto. Now I’m in Hakone and this might be my favorite spot here so far. Well, I’ve only been here less than 24h so far, but the Onsen (hot spring baths) last night was the best and I plan to go back tonight 🙂 Tomorrow heading back to Tokyo and have a shoot planned, visit a mini pig cafe, and a snake cafe too!
Happy Easter by the way and wish you a fabulous weekend. 🙂
Got back from La Paz yesterday. Sun, seafood, ocean, and a couple of Margaritas 🙂
Landed in the evening and headed straight out for food. Everyone said La Paz has great seafood and these tuna and smoked fish tacos at Hambrusia were sooo good!
Priority numero uno for me in the mornings is my coffee. That’s a lie, feeding Hunter comes first actually. Since Hunter stayed home with Julieta, I checked out Doce Cuarenta for caffeine and breakfast which was great.
Passed by Gratitude and tried their coffee too. Very good and went back a couple of more times during my stay.
After a couple of relaxing hours by the pool it was time for a late lunch at Claro Fish Jr. There was all kinds of options like tacos, burritos, tostadas, seafood cocktails, aqua chillies and to have your seafood fried, smoked, battered or raw. I finally settled for this huge seafood tower that was as big as one of my calfs!
Found and negotiated with an Uber driver to take me to the dunes and back. No problem to find Ubers in town, but not so many available to take you back if you head outside of town. It felt very remote driving out there and I remember wondering how many bodies laid buried there. Yes, I watch too many movies…. But I really liked it and the beach went on forever.
Only had a cocktail and french toast for dinner when returning to town. One of my big dreams when I was kid, to just eat dessert 🙂
I was supposed to snorkel with sea lions and check out the Espirito Santo Island the next day. Unfortunately they cancelled the tour necause they said the water was choppy and it wasn’t going to be comfortable on the boat. I hit the Uber driver up and went to check out the town Todos Santos. It’s one of the Pueblos Magicos here in Mexico. Meaning ‘Magical Town’. It was very cute. Started by checking out Hotel California. Supposedly the Eagles song with the same name was inspired about this hotel. I just googled it, and it turns out it’s not true. Hahahaaa, but cool story though 🙂
More fish tacos and coffee while walking around town…
I saw these cool and a bit freaky masks made with animal hide. I kind of wished I’d gotten one 🙂
There was this cool pink wall with cactuses. Not sure if they were for sale, but if I had to pick one, it would’ve been this one LOL…
Then headed to a beach called La Cachora. Barely any people there and the waves were huge. There’s something very peaceful walking barefoot on sand and hearing the ocean!
If I ever go back, I would definitely plan a couple of days in Todos Santos 🙂
Next day it was time for a whale shark tour. It was kind of the whole purpose of this trip. They only swim here at certain times of the year and I really wanted to swim with them. And it was amazing! They are so majestic and you’re just a little fart next to them. I did bring my GoPro to film underwater, but then decided to just observe them. It would’ve been hard because you have to pay attention to stay alongside them when swimming. This was the highlight of my trip!
A little bit more pool time after that. And bikini pics…
The Uber driver had been going on about the fantastic Margaritas at this place called Buzos. He wasn’t wrong! Tamarindo is now my new favorite flavour in Margaritas or Mezcalitos by the way! I think they were almost a liter and I was drunk when walking to dinner hahhaaaa…
Grabbed breakfast at this place called Paradiso yesterday. They were playing vinyl records and I obviously noticed the Black Pumas. Not bad 🙂
Better to not be starving when going to the airport so I stuffed myself with this so I could get through my 2h flight 😉 La Mäsa is a very popular coffee and bakery in town.
And the leftover pics of a cute cat, piñata store, and ME 🙂
It was a great trip and I felt I needed some beach and pool time. Feel refreshed now. Booked my Japan trip for next month this morning. Very excited. I want to see more than Tokyo and I’m considering Kyoto. Have you been? Or do you have any other place in Japan to recommend?
Need to go buy food for next week now. Hunter has a special order of some ground chicken mix that has come in that I need to pick up too 🙂
Catch you later and wish you a fabulous week coming up!
