Finished the last of my travel adventures today and am back in Auckland now for the last supper. Tommorrow will consist of sleeping in (finally!), wandering around the harbour and probably going up the tower for a few hours, before catching the bus to fly back home. I leave at 7:15PM and arrive 30 minutes later at 7:45PM on the same day, after 18 hours in transit. Normally I'd be dreading the long flight, but that time difference is messing with my psyche and making me thing this will be nice and short.
Anywho, here's the final update from abroad...
Rotorua
Stinks. But it's pertty.
Wednesday was a pretty full day starting with a hike through Waimangu Valley, apparently the only volcanic ecosystem whose entire history is known from written records. It was an area of rolling hills until one night in 1886 a series of eruptions created a barren valley, wiping out all plants and birdlife in the process. A few minor coughs since then, it's now a lush forest, complete with hot water streams and boiling lakes. Highlight was Frying Pan Lake, so named because you can actually hear it sizzles. Quite bizarre to watch steam rising off an entire lake.
From there I squeezed in a visit to Te Puia, a combination Maori cultural and historic center, kiwi reserve, and geothermal park, complete with bubbling mud pools and steaming geysers. Highlight for me was finally spotting a kiwi. They are nocturnal birds, but the enclosure was setup with a reverse lighting system so they think it's night during the day and you get to see them active. In theory at least. I looked for 15 minutes and saw nothing. Came back after watching the geyser blow off it's steam and saw one just as it darted off again. It shocked me a little because I was expecting a little sparrow-sized thing, but it was like an overgrown bowling ball with hair. Runs like the dickens too.
For a night cap, I took in a Maori hangi... as expected, very much like a Hawaiin Lua, except that it was barely 4 degrees here. The food was pleasant but not as exciting as a Lua, although I enjoyed the entertainment far more. Less showy and more informative, demonstrating Maori welcome ceremonies, instruments, weapons (with staged fights between warriors), and the famous haka. I think I'll try greeting the airport security guards with that tomorrow. I'm sure they'll appreciate it and it won't cause any trouble at all, since it's part of their culture here (their sports teams do it before every game). The host was also very entertaining. There was less than 50 people there, but from 12 different countries. Impressively, he carried on a brief conversation with each person in their native tongue. Since I was the only Canadian, he just asked me how the hockey was going and moved on. :) All in all, a very cool cultural experience.
Waitomo
Made it back and true to their word, it was open. I didn't get to do the full Black Abyss tour I wanted that includes the rappelling, sorry in New Zealand that's abseiling, and spelunking, but did get to spend a couple hours walking through incredible caves with rapid streams, floating on tire tubes and jumping past the waterfalls. It felt treacherous, and you could barely see even with headlights. Many steps where taken on faith, assuming that because the water is frothing there, it must mean there's a rock to step on. Of course it probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, the guide seemed to have no trouble, but for us first timers it kept you on your toes. Or bellies in some cases... there were parts where you had to float on your stomach with your head turned sideways just to fit between the water and roof. For those who have been to Jerusalem, this put Hezekiah's tunnel to shame. Amazing!
Coromandel
Dropped off the car last night with no further incidents, then bussed back to Auckland. This morning I caught a coach tour to the Coromandel Peninsula to see Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Springs, and Driving Creek Railway. Another beautiful area, but I'll have to cut the description short as I'm almost out of Internet time.
In short, I have LOVED my time in New Zealand. It's such a beautiful and laid back country. Sleepy almost. In fact, I think they invented things like Black Water Rafting, Zorbing, Shweebing, Bungy jumps and the like just to keep the people awake. But it's wonderful and undisturbed place where one could be at their leisure for months on end. Great people too... humble, quiet, and unassuming. Reminds me of Saskatchewan... although the landscapes are more like the offspring of Scottland and Hawaii.
After more than 4 weeks though, I am more than ready to come home. Maybe not ready to return to work exactly. But ready to unpack and stay still for a bit. I miss my couch.
See y'all soon! Thanks for reading along.
PS. Summary post and pictures will be dealt with back home. Stay tuned for that, if you want.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Rong turns to Rotorua
I woke up in Auckland this morning and am now at my hotel in Rotorua as planned. However almost nothing went according to plan in between.
I'm not one to try and cover up my own guffaws, so instead I'll just share them and invite you to read on for some good laughs at my own expense. Enjoy! :)
Best Laid Plans
More than any other morning on this trip, everything had to work out perfectly to get things to line up. I needed to get up, pack up, check out, walk 1Km to catch the 7:25AM bus to Hamilton, where I would arrive at 9:25, walk another 1Km to pick up a rental car, drive another hour and 3 minutes to Waitomo, leaving about 10 minutes to throw on my swimmers before my 11:00 booking for black water rafting. Tighter than the wetsuit I'd be wearing, that schedule left no room for anything to go wrong.
In short, it would be a terrible morning to sleep through one's alarm.
And so I did.
After all that debating last night about whether I could afford to sleep until 6 or should set the alarm a bit earlier, I rolled over this morning to be greeted by a red-lettered 7:02 on the clock, and shot out of bed like a rocket. 5 minutes later I wouldn't have had a hope and would have commenced alternate planning, but 23 minutes was just enough time to think I might be able to pull it off.
And so I did.
I literally ran up to bus as the driver was stepping on to go. Still not 100% healthy, and of course feeling worst first thing in the morning to begin with, I was sweating, shaking, rasping, and near ready to chuck chunks, but just collapsed into a seat and didn't move for half-an-hour. Eventually I was able to settle in, scarfed some buns and juice I had in me bag, then tried to catch a few winks.
Surprise!
I managed to doze off just as we pulled in to Hamilton, so I was nice and groggy for the demands of the next leg of the trip. A 1Km walk quickly becomes 2Km when you go 1/2Km the wrong direction first. I got my East-West right, but my North-South wrong, meaning I was going to have to test my cough-scared lungs again to get back on track.
When I finally got to Hertz, I had 58 minutes left for a 63 minute drive and was trying to figure out how to make up the difference given I'd already heard on the radio that New Zealnd was cracking down on speeding this year and pulling people over at 5Km above the limit as a rule. Better call ahead and tell them I might be a bit late.
"I'm sorry, we're closed due to flooding, but the dry tour is open"
Wha-???
I should have stayed on the line and figured out what to do next, but I was completely flustered, with Hertz guy asking me to sign stuff, another asking me on the phone what I want to do about Mother Nature, and my brain still trying to calculate how to get there by 11 for my canceled tour that it hadn't realized was canceled yet.
"I'll decide when I get there"
Wha-???
Why am I still driving there? Nothing and everything was making sense at this point, so I grabbed the keys and proceeded straight to the wrong car door! :)
I deftly pretended that's what I meant to do though. Real suave-like, I unloaded my bags into the passenger side, then walked to the other side without making eye-contact with Hertz guy so he wouldn't have a chance to reconsider letting me waive the insurance. Ignition still on the right of the steering column? All good then.
Have you heard the one about...
What do you get when you mix a Canadian driver with a New Zealand round-about?
Yup. An Accident.
I didn't get 50 feet out of the parking lot before I came within inches of full on broad-siding another car.
When I was on the bus I got thinking that after 3 weeks of being immersed in it, it no longer seemed weird that drivers were sitting on the right of the car. Plus I had been studying how Kori handled traffic circles in Sydney so I figured I was good to go with this whole left-lane-driving business. But then pulling up to my first round-about, I got stumped.
"whoa, this one's got 2 lanes, which one am I supposed to be in???"
Presumably, since I was going straight I probably shouldn't have been in the outside lane going past the first exit. But in my defense, that guy probably wasn't supposed to be taking the first exit from the inside lane either. I had to nail the brakes just to hold up inches short of slamming into the passenger on his shotgun side.
In his defense though, he was probably only in that lane because I didn't see him when I pulled into the round-about in the first place. :s
Thank goodness the brake pedal is still on the left of the gas pedal or that would have been ugly for sure. Unlike the turn signal. No matter how frantically my wipers flail on my dry windshield, other drivers still don't know which way I'm turning. I think I've got that one figured out now, but the rear-view mirror has also moved to the left, which I can't seem to get used to. Half the time still I glance right and use the side mirror instead without even realizing it.
Some things remain the same though Drive still goes forwards. Neutral still goes nowhere no matter how fast you rev the engine. To back out of a parking stall, you still have to use reverse. Which I did. Eventually. Third times a charm!
In short, it's probably good no one had to share a ride with me. Pity the poor blokes that had to share the road with me though...
Everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten
This is an untrue statement. In order to survive and thrive in this fast paced world you have to learn something new everyday.
For instance, today I learned that no amount of yelling will get an oncoming driver to change lanes when you are the one in the wrong lane.
In my defence, at a distance of 1/2Km, an oncoming truck on the highway looks just like a car passing a slower one in Canada. However at 1/4Km away, it suddenly becomes crystal clear that something isn't quite right.
In that situation, instinct will cause you to scream "what the $%#&* is this guy doing?!?!" Fortunately, my brain immediately yelled back "wait a minute, what the #$%&* are YOU doing?!?!" and then told my arms to pull the car back into the left lane.
The look on that lady's face as we blew by each other, thankfully not in the same lane anymore, would have been priceless had I not been busy trying to get my heart to start pumping again.
Sheesh.
I'm lucky to be alive. Perhaps that's a right-of-passage everyone goes through when switching sides on the road though, because I did not have any trouble figuring out which lane to be in the rest of the day. At all. Lesson well learnt.
A wizard is never early nor late
Got to Waitomo in one peice and discussed the situation with the very helpful staff at The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. I could do the 3 hour dry tour of the glow worm caves or try to come back another day. They only closed yesterday and were hopeful it would re-open tommorrow. They even gave me a free slice of cake and cappuccino while I sat down to see if I could manage to fit it in another day.
A little bit of creative juggling and long distance calling later, I left for the shire instead, arriving precisely when I meant to be there, as Gandalf would say. In short, I'm basically doing these three days in reverse now. Te Puia might have to get squeezed out in order to get back in time for the rafting on Thursday (which would be a shame as that's my chance to see live kiwis), and it's a lot of extra driving, but I'm just glad I'll get another chance to do it. New Zealand is an awfully long way to have to come back.
Money well spent
As you've probably gathered, getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road is mentally taxing... At least for me anyway. So is navigating unfamiliar roads. Rather than trying to do both, I decided to splurge and spend the $9.95-a-day for a GPS, and it's been a life-saver. I haven't found many (if any) deals on this side of the world, but this one pays for itself, assuming my life can be valued at least $1095-a-day.
I hadn't tried using one of these since the first versions came out but they've come along way since then. It's been a spot-on navigator, talking me through the directions with such ease I haven't even had to look at a map. Clearly the audio algorithms have been improved because it's been giving me the perfect amount of lead-time for whatever my speed is, including for 2 turns in a row when they were close enough to warrant it. I've also been impressed with the routes it has chosen, taking me through rural shortcuts and secondary highways that seemed to be saving a lot of time, while still avoiding anything unpaved, and letting me see parts of the country I never would have otherwise. It even switched the display to night-mode automatically as soon as it got dark enough outside. The last hour to Rotorua was dark and rainy, but having that thing tell me where to go made the drive to the hotel a cake-walk.
In short, I'll be eliminating any future vacation-driving stress by renting one of these bad boys everytime I drive unfamiliar territory from now on. Maybe by then it will even be programmed to tell me when I'm in the wrong lane. (This message has been brought to you by Hertz).
There and back again
Sorry, I just realized I touched on the shire tour but said nothing about it. It was both cool and lame. The cool part is seeing the pictures from when it was fully set up compared to how it looks now in it's mostly restored state, and hearing the incredible stories of the lengths they'll go to to create the magic of film. The lame part was that the entire set is less than 10 acres and the 1 hour walk through it could have easily been done in 15 minutes and still seemed slow.
It included a live sheep-sheering demo, which was also both cool and lame. You can add lambs to the list of animals I've petted on this trip.
In conclusion
New Zealand is GORGEOUS. Almost enough to cause you to drive off the road while staring at it. Sigh. Yyyup....
More than any where else I've been so far, this is a place I would love to come back to and just hang out for a few months. Or maybe years. And that exchange rate might just be enough to make me do it.
I'm not one to try and cover up my own guffaws, so instead I'll just share them and invite you to read on for some good laughs at my own expense. Enjoy! :)
Best Laid Plans
More than any other morning on this trip, everything had to work out perfectly to get things to line up. I needed to get up, pack up, check out, walk 1Km to catch the 7:25AM bus to Hamilton, where I would arrive at 9:25, walk another 1Km to pick up a rental car, drive another hour and 3 minutes to Waitomo, leaving about 10 minutes to throw on my swimmers before my 11:00 booking for black water rafting. Tighter than the wetsuit I'd be wearing, that schedule left no room for anything to go wrong.
In short, it would be a terrible morning to sleep through one's alarm.
And so I did.
After all that debating last night about whether I could afford to sleep until 6 or should set the alarm a bit earlier, I rolled over this morning to be greeted by a red-lettered 7:02 on the clock, and shot out of bed like a rocket. 5 minutes later I wouldn't have had a hope and would have commenced alternate planning, but 23 minutes was just enough time to think I might be able to pull it off.
And so I did.
I literally ran up to bus as the driver was stepping on to go. Still not 100% healthy, and of course feeling worst first thing in the morning to begin with, I was sweating, shaking, rasping, and near ready to chuck chunks, but just collapsed into a seat and didn't move for half-an-hour. Eventually I was able to settle in, scarfed some buns and juice I had in me bag, then tried to catch a few winks.
Surprise!
I managed to doze off just as we pulled in to Hamilton, so I was nice and groggy for the demands of the next leg of the trip. A 1Km walk quickly becomes 2Km when you go 1/2Km the wrong direction first. I got my East-West right, but my North-South wrong, meaning I was going to have to test my cough-scared lungs again to get back on track.
When I finally got to Hertz, I had 58 minutes left for a 63 minute drive and was trying to figure out how to make up the difference given I'd already heard on the radio that New Zealnd was cracking down on speeding this year and pulling people over at 5Km above the limit as a rule. Better call ahead and tell them I might be a bit late.
"I'm sorry, we're closed due to flooding, but the dry tour is open"
Wha-???
I should have stayed on the line and figured out what to do next, but I was completely flustered, with Hertz guy asking me to sign stuff, another asking me on the phone what I want to do about Mother Nature, and my brain still trying to calculate how to get there by 11 for my canceled tour that it hadn't realized was canceled yet.
"I'll decide when I get there"
Wha-???
Why am I still driving there? Nothing and everything was making sense at this point, so I grabbed the keys and proceeded straight to the wrong car door! :)
I deftly pretended that's what I meant to do though. Real suave-like, I unloaded my bags into the passenger side, then walked to the other side without making eye-contact with Hertz guy so he wouldn't have a chance to reconsider letting me waive the insurance. Ignition still on the right of the steering column? All good then.
Have you heard the one about...
What do you get when you mix a Canadian driver with a New Zealand round-about?
Yup. An Accident.
I didn't get 50 feet out of the parking lot before I came within inches of full on broad-siding another car.
When I was on the bus I got thinking that after 3 weeks of being immersed in it, it no longer seemed weird that drivers were sitting on the right of the car. Plus I had been studying how Kori handled traffic circles in Sydney so I figured I was good to go with this whole left-lane-driving business. But then pulling up to my first round-about, I got stumped.
"whoa, this one's got 2 lanes, which one am I supposed to be in???"
Presumably, since I was going straight I probably shouldn't have been in the outside lane going past the first exit. But in my defense, that guy probably wasn't supposed to be taking the first exit from the inside lane either. I had to nail the brakes just to hold up inches short of slamming into the passenger on his shotgun side.
In his defense though, he was probably only in that lane because I didn't see him when I pulled into the round-about in the first place. :s
Thank goodness the brake pedal is still on the left of the gas pedal or that would have been ugly for sure. Unlike the turn signal. No matter how frantically my wipers flail on my dry windshield, other drivers still don't know which way I'm turning. I think I've got that one figured out now, but the rear-view mirror has also moved to the left, which I can't seem to get used to. Half the time still I glance right and use the side mirror instead without even realizing it.
Some things remain the same though Drive still goes forwards. Neutral still goes nowhere no matter how fast you rev the engine. To back out of a parking stall, you still have to use reverse. Which I did. Eventually. Third times a charm!
In short, it's probably good no one had to share a ride with me. Pity the poor blokes that had to share the road with me though...
Everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten
This is an untrue statement. In order to survive and thrive in this fast paced world you have to learn something new everyday.
For instance, today I learned that no amount of yelling will get an oncoming driver to change lanes when you are the one in the wrong lane.
In my defence, at a distance of 1/2Km, an oncoming truck on the highway looks just like a car passing a slower one in Canada. However at 1/4Km away, it suddenly becomes crystal clear that something isn't quite right.
In that situation, instinct will cause you to scream "what the $%#&* is this guy doing?!?!" Fortunately, my brain immediately yelled back "wait a minute, what the #$%&* are YOU doing?!?!" and then told my arms to pull the car back into the left lane.
The look on that lady's face as we blew by each other, thankfully not in the same lane anymore, would have been priceless had I not been busy trying to get my heart to start pumping again.
Sheesh.
I'm lucky to be alive. Perhaps that's a right-of-passage everyone goes through when switching sides on the road though, because I did not have any trouble figuring out which lane to be in the rest of the day. At all. Lesson well learnt.
A wizard is never early nor late
Got to Waitomo in one peice and discussed the situation with the very helpful staff at The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. I could do the 3 hour dry tour of the glow worm caves or try to come back another day. They only closed yesterday and were hopeful it would re-open tommorrow. They even gave me a free slice of cake and cappuccino while I sat down to see if I could manage to fit it in another day.
A little bit of creative juggling and long distance calling later, I left for the shire instead, arriving precisely when I meant to be there, as Gandalf would say. In short, I'm basically doing these three days in reverse now. Te Puia might have to get squeezed out in order to get back in time for the rafting on Thursday (which would be a shame as that's my chance to see live kiwis), and it's a lot of extra driving, but I'm just glad I'll get another chance to do it. New Zealand is an awfully long way to have to come back.
Money well spent
As you've probably gathered, getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road is mentally taxing... At least for me anyway. So is navigating unfamiliar roads. Rather than trying to do both, I decided to splurge and spend the $9.95-a-day for a GPS, and it's been a life-saver. I haven't found many (if any) deals on this side of the world, but this one pays for itself, assuming my life can be valued at least $1095-a-day.
I hadn't tried using one of these since the first versions came out but they've come along way since then. It's been a spot-on navigator, talking me through the directions with such ease I haven't even had to look at a map. Clearly the audio algorithms have been improved because it's been giving me the perfect amount of lead-time for whatever my speed is, including for 2 turns in a row when they were close enough to warrant it. I've also been impressed with the routes it has chosen, taking me through rural shortcuts and secondary highways that seemed to be saving a lot of time, while still avoiding anything unpaved, and letting me see parts of the country I never would have otherwise. It even switched the display to night-mode automatically as soon as it got dark enough outside. The last hour to Rotorua was dark and rainy, but having that thing tell me where to go made the drive to the hotel a cake-walk.
In short, I'll be eliminating any future vacation-driving stress by renting one of these bad boys everytime I drive unfamiliar territory from now on. Maybe by then it will even be programmed to tell me when I'm in the wrong lane. (This message has been brought to you by Hertz).
There and back again
Sorry, I just realized I touched on the shire tour but said nothing about it. It was both cool and lame. The cool part is seeing the pictures from when it was fully set up compared to how it looks now in it's mostly restored state, and hearing the incredible stories of the lengths they'll go to to create the magic of film. The lame part was that the entire set is less than 10 acres and the 1 hour walk through it could have easily been done in 15 minutes and still seemed slow.
It included a live sheep-sheering demo, which was also both cool and lame. You can add lambs to the list of animals I've petted on this trip.
In conclusion
New Zealand is GORGEOUS. Almost enough to cause you to drive off the road while staring at it. Sigh. Yyyup....
More than any where else I've been so far, this is a place I would love to come back to and just hang out for a few months. Or maybe years. And that exchange rate might just be enough to make me do it.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Now in New Zealand
Arrived in Auckland yesterday, sick as a dog. I caught something in the outback and by the time I got back to Sydney was achy and sniffling. Determined not to let it ruin my vacation, I went to the mall and purchased a pharmicy, drugs now occupy more space in my back pack than clothes.
There was nothing on the agenda today, and the weather forecast was calling for "gale force winds" across New Zealand, so I figured I'd just sleep in and take it easy. Surprisingly though, the weather has been reasonably good today, and I'm also feeler better than I have for days, albeit still coughing and notably weaker. Another early bed time is in order, after which I'll hopefully be rested up and ready to tackle this itinerary for my final week:
Tuesday: Waitomo
I catch an early bus to Hamilton, where I'll pick up a rental car, and drive down the wrong side of the road to Waitomo for several hours of rappelling, spulenking, and tire-tubing through glow-worm infested underground caves and rivers. I hope my expectations aren't unreasonably high, but this has been one of the key activities I've been looking forward to on this trip. From there I drive another couple hours on to Rotorua. I have no idea whether the caving or driving will be more hazardous to me!
Wednesday: Rotorua
Rotorua is New Zealands equivalent to Yellowstone, a geothermal area full of geyers, bubbling mud pools, boiling lakes, and hot springs. I'll spend a day and a half hiking around this region, and one evening taking in a Maori dinner. The Maori are New Zealands aboriginals, and from what I can tell this should be similar to a Hawaiin Lua. Only different.
Thursday: The Shire
After another morning in Rotorua, I drive up the highway to Matamata, famous as the site of the Lord of The Rings Hobbiton filming. It's the only set from the trilogy that's still partially intact. The tour includes a sheep farm demonstration, which apparently is a big deal here... New Zealand has more sheep than humans in its population.
Friday: Coromandel
I drop off the car and bus back to Auckland Thursday night, then take a day tour of the Coromandel Peninsula. Rainforests, mountains, hot water beaches, and Cathedral Cove, it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in the country.
Saturday: ET Go Home
All good things must come to an end, and I'll be leaving on a jet plane Saturday, albeit not until 7PM so I'll have some time to take in a bit of Auckland first, hopefully this time fully healthy and able to enjoy it.
It's hard to believe I'm already down to the last few days, it's gone by in a total blur. But obviously I've got a lot to look forward to this week yet, so it's not worth fretting about just yet. Instead, I've got to figure out where I catch this bus tomorrow...
There was nothing on the agenda today, and the weather forecast was calling for "gale force winds" across New Zealand, so I figured I'd just sleep in and take it easy. Surprisingly though, the weather has been reasonably good today, and I'm also feeler better than I have for days, albeit still coughing and notably weaker. Another early bed time is in order, after which I'll hopefully be rested up and ready to tackle this itinerary for my final week:
Tuesday: Waitomo
I catch an early bus to Hamilton, where I'll pick up a rental car, and drive down the wrong side of the road to Waitomo for several hours of rappelling, spulenking, and tire-tubing through glow-worm infested underground caves and rivers. I hope my expectations aren't unreasonably high, but this has been one of the key activities I've been looking forward to on this trip. From there I drive another couple hours on to Rotorua. I have no idea whether the caving or driving will be more hazardous to me!
Wednesday: Rotorua
Rotorua is New Zealands equivalent to Yellowstone, a geothermal area full of geyers, bubbling mud pools, boiling lakes, and hot springs. I'll spend a day and a half hiking around this region, and one evening taking in a Maori dinner. The Maori are New Zealands aboriginals, and from what I can tell this should be similar to a Hawaiin Lua. Only different.
Thursday: The Shire
After another morning in Rotorua, I drive up the highway to Matamata, famous as the site of the Lord of The Rings Hobbiton filming. It's the only set from the trilogy that's still partially intact. The tour includes a sheep farm demonstration, which apparently is a big deal here... New Zealand has more sheep than humans in its population.
Friday: Coromandel
I drop off the car and bus back to Auckland Thursday night, then take a day tour of the Coromandel Peninsula. Rainforests, mountains, hot water beaches, and Cathedral Cove, it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in the country.
Saturday: ET Go Home
All good things must come to an end, and I'll be leaving on a jet plane Saturday, albeit not until 7PM so I'll have some time to take in a bit of Auckland first, hopefully this time fully healthy and able to enjoy it.
It's hard to believe I'm already down to the last few days, it's gone by in a total blur. But obviously I've got a lot to look forward to this week yet, so it's not worth fretting about just yet. Instead, I've got to figure out where I catch this bus tomorrow...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Travel Agent Challenge
Aside from one more day in the Sydney region, my time here in Australia is coming to a close. I've seen the Big Three: Great Barrier Reef, Outback,and Sydney Harbour. But this country is HUGE. You can fit all of Europe or almost all of continental US inside it, so there's a lot I haven't seen... Melbourne, Tasmania, the Top End, Perth, Brisbane and the Gold Coast...
Still I think I've done fairly well in just under 2 weeks. But it's got me thinking, if a person had only 2 weeks to see Canada, what should they aim for? Suppose you were their travel agent, what itinerary would you suggest?
I'm curious to hear, so post it in the comments, and I'll add mine next time I'm online again too. Alternatively, if you are an Aussie, or been here yourself, what should I have seen instead (and what should I have dropped to make it possible)?
Still I think I've done fairly well in just under 2 weeks. But it's got me thinking, if a person had only 2 weeks to see Canada, what should they aim for? Suppose you were their travel agent, what itinerary would you suggest?
I'm curious to hear, so post it in the comments, and I'll add mine next time I'm online again too. Alternatively, if you are an Aussie, or been here yourself, what should I have seen instead (and what should I have dropped to make it possible)?
I Heart Australia
I'm long overdue for an update. Shortly after leaving Japan I ran out of gas. Might have been the overnight flight. Maybe the two days at sea followed by an 11 hour road trip into the rainforest. Or maybe it's the disorienting feeling of standing upside down all the time. For whatever reason I've shifted gears from my usual wide-eyed, do-everything-and-then-some, energizer-bunny traveling mode to a laid-back, I'm-on-vacation, leisure mode. The result has been a bit of a work-to-rule slow down, including blog updates.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm still enjoying myself immensely, and if anything, I'll come back to work better rested for it (that sound you just heard was my boss cheering). Plus Australia is a great place to slow down. There's less urgency to "see everything" like in Europe, and the climate and culture is similar enough to feel right at home.
Well, almost. It really is somewhat disorienting when you first get here. Coming from Japan, you feel like you are in a foreign culture so you shouldn't be able to speak to the locals. Then you realize they are speaking English and you should be able to speak to them. Then you realize you can't because you miss every third word with that bloody accent! :) Everything is the same except slightly different in subtle ways that you can't quite put a finger on, which is a real head trip compared to Japan or even Europe, where everything is different and you know it. At least for me anyway.
Anywho, time to get on with the update, rapid fire style...
DAINTREE RAINFOREST
- this was a day trip from Cairns, starting at 7AM and not finishing until after 6PM, most of that time spent driving... Ugh
- I had no idea that Australia was so tropical. I had always pictured it as a small fertile strip sandwiched between the Ocean and a vast barren Outback, but the Top End could rival Hawaii. It looks to be even closer to Papa New Guineau than Florida is to Cuba
- highlights for me were the beautiful Mossman Gorge (worth a google image search!), seeing an 8-foot croc feeding in the wild, and a brief stop at a rainforest habitat where I saw a cassowary (also worth a google search), petted big red kangaroos even tamer than the Nara deer, and got dive bombed by some of the wild birds :). The guide was also very informative, pointing out flora and fauna in the rainforest I never would have seen otherwise, and I now know more about the sugarcane industry than I'll ever need to know. An interesting tidbit he shared: apparently the shrimpers all the way over here are benefitting from the BP fiasco in the Gulf.
SYDNEY
- met up with the Jones', which was the whole excuse for this trip, and enjoyed their company and hospitality for several days in Sydney. Whether it's been Lisa feeding me, or Kori cramming for two weeks so he would have a couple days free to visit, or just generally showing me around and putting up with my laundry hanging all over their apartment, they have been great hosts. It's been great to spend time with them again, and hard to believe they left Calgary almost 3 years ago. (For those who don't know them, the Jones are friends of mine from Calgary. Kori is here doing a Renewable Energy Engineering Degree at UNSW, the first program of it's kind in the world, while Lisa is learning the ins-and-outs of immigration laws by actually trying to eke out a living as an immigrant and avoid getting kicked out!)
- they live a 10 minute walk from the beach so after picking me up from the airport, Kori and I headed out to make the best of one of the few rain-free days Sydney has had lately (although I heard Calgary was getting snow still!). We did the fantastic 15Km Coastal Walk from their place near Maroubra, starting on rocky shores with crashing waves, before ending in a, uh, romantic moonlight beach stroll at Bondi beach where we met Lisa for dinner.
- Saturday we braved the rain (still feels warm to me!) and went down to The Rocks, strolled around the Harbour, and caught a free ferry to Cockatoo Island where I saw the strangest "art" exhibits I've ever seen. As an example. We watched one film where 5 female dwarfs are tending their overgrown vegetable garden, that naturally produces a tuxedo wearing opera singer, an old woman wrapped in skin-tight white cloth, and of course a transvestite, whom they start to care for before deciding to off Mr. Opera. I'm sure you can guess how the story goes from there. Self explanatory really. Ha! And that was one of the displays that made sense! Sorta.
- we also strolled around the iconic Opera House, which was lit up with ever changing images and lights as part of a 2 month Vivid Sydney fair going on here.
WALLONGONG
- On Sunday we decided to head for a day trip to explore the coast and wine region south of Sydney. When we stopped at a visitor information center a couple hours later, I was treated to a stunning view of Wallangong, the next major city south of Sydney, situated right on the coast and overlooked by high green cliffs. It was at that moment when I first stopped thinking this country is a little strange and realized how beautiful it is and that I could totally see myself moving here. Afterall, any place with an abundance of t-shirts that say "I Heart the Gong" has to be cool.
- after a wild goose chase trying to find a poorly marked lookout point, we stopped for lunch at the ocean and watched the waves come crashing in. I forgot how amazing the ocean is, and I could have stood there all day, but we needed to head towards Shoalhaven before the wineries closed. That area was just as beautiful, and the free wine and liquer (mmmm... Macadamian liquer) were wonderful, if perhaps a little too free-flowing :)
POOR STORY
- the Joneses had to return to reality on Monday, so I slept in, did some laundry, walked to the beach, got blown back to the house by the wind, and raided Kori's excellent stash of books.
- In one day I blazed through a book and a half, including "Poor Story", an enlightening read on Africa and why the International Aid movement has failed to pull that continent out of poverty. It changed the way I will donate, and also altered my perspective on global "free" trade agreements. As a teaser, we may have abolished slavery, but we still find a lot of creative and "legal" ways for people with money to take advantage of those who don't. We, as in the "West", have a long way to go still. For anyone with an interest in social justice issues, it's a must read.
- the other one I'm still working through is "China Inc" which takes a look at the economic growth of that giant country and how it affects the rest of the world. The numbers are mind boggling.
THE OUTBACK
- Tuesday I caught a plane to Yulara for a 3 day trip through the Outback's most famous sights, Uluru, Olgas, and Kings Canyon. Lots of time on the bus, but this was the Australia I had always imagined. Semi-arid, vast spaces, and remote, sparse civilization, it's been an absolute visual treat. Apparently, I caught it at it's most "lush". They've had 400mm of rain already this year, compared to 161mm all of last year. One guide told me that if I'd been here in December, there would 50% less leaves on the trees and 70% more grass, with a red-haze in the air from all the dust. Totally normal though, the dry-wet cycles here aren't measure in seasons but years, and sections of the Outback can go almost a decade with very little rain before one wet month brings the whole desert back to life, germinating seeds that have lain dormant in the red dirt since the last good rain. All kinds of plant and animal life that looks very foreign to me thrives out here in such a harsh climate.
- even in winter here, the sun is very hot. Supposedly it's only 20 degrees in the day, but that must be an average of shade and sun temperatures, because it has to be a 10 degree difference. It's an art to find a spot with the right mix of sun and shade hitting your body to stay warm, cool, and unburnt. The temperature plumets as soon as the sun sets, going from near 20 to near freezing in less than an hour. One night it was cool enough that I started to shiver, so I quickly ran to the nearest building and smashed the window to get inside and stay warm. Just Kidding! Or am I?
- Uluru surprised me. I thought it would just be a big rock in the middle of nowhere, but mountain is a more appropriate term. It has a lot more geographical features than the postcard pictures let on, and it was surreal to walk up to it (no I did not climb!) and feel like you were deep in a mountain range, only to turn around and see that you were actually on a flat plain. One image that will forever remain in my mind is the black silhouhettes of Uluru and strange, sparse-leafed desert trees against a rainbow coloured sky as we drove towards it for a sunrise viewing. I've never seen anything like that. B. E. A. Utiful.
- The Olgas and Kings Canyon were equally scenic but this is getting long enough and I've got a plane to catch so I'll save that for when I'm able to get more pictures up. Incidentally, I had a mis-hap with my phone in the rainforest that resulted in losing all my videos :( Chanting crowds in Asakusa, hugging deer in Miyajima, Karoeke in Hiroshima, Dr. Fish in Osaka, incredibly loud birds in Cairns... Ne'er shall any such things now see the light of YouTube. Still have all my pictures at least.
BACK TO SYDNEY
- I'm in Alice Springs at the moment, enjoying my first real hotel room in days after "roughing it" in cynder-block prison cells, I mean, hotel rooms with outdoor toilets and showers in the outback. I fly back to Sydney for another day and 2 nights keeping up with the Joneses before flying on to Auckland Sunday.
- Hard to believe I've been gone over 3 weeks already, or that I'll be back home again a week from tommorrow. Hopefully this cold I've woken up with this morning goes by just as quickly so I can enjoy New Zealand before then.
And now, you are up to date.
Greg
Posted from my crapPhone.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm still enjoying myself immensely, and if anything, I'll come back to work better rested for it (that sound you just heard was my boss cheering). Plus Australia is a great place to slow down. There's less urgency to "see everything" like in Europe, and the climate and culture is similar enough to feel right at home.
Well, almost. It really is somewhat disorienting when you first get here. Coming from Japan, you feel like you are in a foreign culture so you shouldn't be able to speak to the locals. Then you realize they are speaking English and you should be able to speak to them. Then you realize you can't because you miss every third word with that bloody accent! :) Everything is the same except slightly different in subtle ways that you can't quite put a finger on, which is a real head trip compared to Japan or even Europe, where everything is different and you know it. At least for me anyway.
Anywho, time to get on with the update, rapid fire style...
DAINTREE RAINFOREST
- this was a day trip from Cairns, starting at 7AM and not finishing until after 6PM, most of that time spent driving... Ugh
- I had no idea that Australia was so tropical. I had always pictured it as a small fertile strip sandwiched between the Ocean and a vast barren Outback, but the Top End could rival Hawaii. It looks to be even closer to Papa New Guineau than Florida is to Cuba
- highlights for me were the beautiful Mossman Gorge (worth a google image search!), seeing an 8-foot croc feeding in the wild, and a brief stop at a rainforest habitat where I saw a cassowary (also worth a google search), petted big red kangaroos even tamer than the Nara deer, and got dive bombed by some of the wild birds :). The guide was also very informative, pointing out flora and fauna in the rainforest I never would have seen otherwise, and I now know more about the sugarcane industry than I'll ever need to know. An interesting tidbit he shared: apparently the shrimpers all the way over here are benefitting from the BP fiasco in the Gulf.
SYDNEY
- met up with the Jones', which was the whole excuse for this trip, and enjoyed their company and hospitality for several days in Sydney. Whether it's been Lisa feeding me, or Kori cramming for two weeks so he would have a couple days free to visit, or just generally showing me around and putting up with my laundry hanging all over their apartment, they have been great hosts. It's been great to spend time with them again, and hard to believe they left Calgary almost 3 years ago. (For those who don't know them, the Jones are friends of mine from Calgary. Kori is here doing a Renewable Energy Engineering Degree at UNSW, the first program of it's kind in the world, while Lisa is learning the ins-and-outs of immigration laws by actually trying to eke out a living as an immigrant and avoid getting kicked out!)
- they live a 10 minute walk from the beach so after picking me up from the airport, Kori and I headed out to make the best of one of the few rain-free days Sydney has had lately (although I heard Calgary was getting snow still!). We did the fantastic 15Km Coastal Walk from their place near Maroubra, starting on rocky shores with crashing waves, before ending in a, uh, romantic moonlight beach stroll at Bondi beach where we met Lisa for dinner.
- Saturday we braved the rain (still feels warm to me!) and went down to The Rocks, strolled around the Harbour, and caught a free ferry to Cockatoo Island where I saw the strangest "art" exhibits I've ever seen. As an example. We watched one film where 5 female dwarfs are tending their overgrown vegetable garden, that naturally produces a tuxedo wearing opera singer, an old woman wrapped in skin-tight white cloth, and of course a transvestite, whom they start to care for before deciding to off Mr. Opera. I'm sure you can guess how the story goes from there. Self explanatory really. Ha! And that was one of the displays that made sense! Sorta.
- we also strolled around the iconic Opera House, which was lit up with ever changing images and lights as part of a 2 month Vivid Sydney fair going on here.
WALLONGONG
- On Sunday we decided to head for a day trip to explore the coast and wine region south of Sydney. When we stopped at a visitor information center a couple hours later, I was treated to a stunning view of Wallangong, the next major city south of Sydney, situated right on the coast and overlooked by high green cliffs. It was at that moment when I first stopped thinking this country is a little strange and realized how beautiful it is and that I could totally see myself moving here. Afterall, any place with an abundance of t-shirts that say "I Heart the Gong" has to be cool.
- after a wild goose chase trying to find a poorly marked lookout point, we stopped for lunch at the ocean and watched the waves come crashing in. I forgot how amazing the ocean is, and I could have stood there all day, but we needed to head towards Shoalhaven before the wineries closed. That area was just as beautiful, and the free wine and liquer (mmmm... Macadamian liquer) were wonderful, if perhaps a little too free-flowing :)
POOR STORY
- the Joneses had to return to reality on Monday, so I slept in, did some laundry, walked to the beach, got blown back to the house by the wind, and raided Kori's excellent stash of books.
- In one day I blazed through a book and a half, including "Poor Story", an enlightening read on Africa and why the International Aid movement has failed to pull that continent out of poverty. It changed the way I will donate, and also altered my perspective on global "free" trade agreements. As a teaser, we may have abolished slavery, but we still find a lot of creative and "legal" ways for people with money to take advantage of those who don't. We, as in the "West", have a long way to go still. For anyone with an interest in social justice issues, it's a must read.
- the other one I'm still working through is "China Inc" which takes a look at the economic growth of that giant country and how it affects the rest of the world. The numbers are mind boggling.
THE OUTBACK
- Tuesday I caught a plane to Yulara for a 3 day trip through the Outback's most famous sights, Uluru, Olgas, and Kings Canyon. Lots of time on the bus, but this was the Australia I had always imagined. Semi-arid, vast spaces, and remote, sparse civilization, it's been an absolute visual treat. Apparently, I caught it at it's most "lush". They've had 400mm of rain already this year, compared to 161mm all of last year. One guide told me that if I'd been here in December, there would 50% less leaves on the trees and 70% more grass, with a red-haze in the air from all the dust. Totally normal though, the dry-wet cycles here aren't measure in seasons but years, and sections of the Outback can go almost a decade with very little rain before one wet month brings the whole desert back to life, germinating seeds that have lain dormant in the red dirt since the last good rain. All kinds of plant and animal life that looks very foreign to me thrives out here in such a harsh climate.
- even in winter here, the sun is very hot. Supposedly it's only 20 degrees in the day, but that must be an average of shade and sun temperatures, because it has to be a 10 degree difference. It's an art to find a spot with the right mix of sun and shade hitting your body to stay warm, cool, and unburnt. The temperature plumets as soon as the sun sets, going from near 20 to near freezing in less than an hour. One night it was cool enough that I started to shiver, so I quickly ran to the nearest building and smashed the window to get inside and stay warm. Just Kidding! Or am I?
- Uluru surprised me. I thought it would just be a big rock in the middle of nowhere, but mountain is a more appropriate term. It has a lot more geographical features than the postcard pictures let on, and it was surreal to walk up to it (no I did not climb!) and feel like you were deep in a mountain range, only to turn around and see that you were actually on a flat plain. One image that will forever remain in my mind is the black silhouhettes of Uluru and strange, sparse-leafed desert trees against a rainbow coloured sky as we drove towards it for a sunrise viewing. I've never seen anything like that. B. E. A. Utiful.
- The Olgas and Kings Canyon were equally scenic but this is getting long enough and I've got a plane to catch so I'll save that for when I'm able to get more pictures up. Incidentally, I had a mis-hap with my phone in the rainforest that resulted in losing all my videos :( Chanting crowds in Asakusa, hugging deer in Miyajima, Karoeke in Hiroshima, Dr. Fish in Osaka, incredibly loud birds in Cairns... Ne'er shall any such things now see the light of YouTube. Still have all my pictures at least.
BACK TO SYDNEY
- I'm in Alice Springs at the moment, enjoying my first real hotel room in days after "roughing it" in cynder-block prison cells, I mean, hotel rooms with outdoor toilets and showers in the outback. I fly back to Sydney for another day and 2 nights keeping up with the Joneses before flying on to Auckland Sunday.
- Hard to believe I've been gone over 3 weeks already, or that I'll be back home again a week from tommorrow. Hopefully this cold I've woken up with this morning goes by just as quickly so I can enjoy New Zealand before then.
And now, you are up to date.
Greg
Posted from my crapPhone.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Soaked and Sertified
Well, I completed my 2 days of diving at the reef today. I can officially scratch another thing of my bucket list: Scuba Diving and the Great Barrier Reef!
I was pretty tense going in because I thought I would probably get sea sick and I hate that feeling, so I didn't really enjoy the first few dives. Crowded boats, nervous tension, cold wetsuits, forgotten material from my pool dives... by lunch I was contemplating skipping day 2. But by the time I finished the 3rd dive yesterday afternoon, I was quite enjoying myself. I got used to the rythm of who goes on deck when, when and how to get ready for my dives, remembered what I was supposed to be doing in the water, and generally just relaxed as I realized the motion sickness medication was doing it's job quite well. Plus the spot we went to after lunch may as well have been a pool it was so calm.
In fact, I'm starting to think I have a horse shoe growing out of my butt as just about everything on this trip has been going perfectly (aside from the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon being closed). The waters were so calm that even the crew was excited because they got to go to sites that some of them had never been able to go to before. They said this was as calm as it ever gets, and even last week the water was really choppy with lots of people were getting sick on the boat. Perfect timing for me!! The calmness also means underwater visibility was "amazing" to quote my dive instructor. Couldn't ask for anything better!
Have to admit though, it didn't really look any different than other reefs I've snorkeled in, but it certainly was bigger. I guess I thought "Great" meant it would be the most spectacular thing on Earth, but apparently "Great" just means "Super-Duper-Big". And that it was. The size, combined with the visiblity made for some very memorable views. Saw a shark on my first dive, giant (and I mean GIANT) clams, eels, and an incredible array of colorful fish and corals. Even found Nemo hiding in a soft coral plant exactly the same as in the movie!
Anyway, long story short, I completed my dives and am now a PADI certified open water diver. It felt surprisingly rewarding to get out of the water and have all the crew congratulating me, I wasn't expecting that. I went with Tusa diving, and would highly recommend them. Very friendly and helpful crew, good food, and I got my own private instructor for all 4 of my certification dives. They even let me go back out for a free guided dive with the other certified divers this afternoon since I was done my training. Incidentally, it is A LOT more fun Scuba diving when you get to just explore the reef and swim between the nooks and crannies instead of stopping to show you can clear your mask or retrieve your regulator multiple times.
Tommorrow I'll have to put on some clothes again (haven't showered or dressed in days, just been hanging out in my swimmers and t-shirt since I got here!) and join a day trip to the Daintree Rainforest. That's my mandatory decompression day before flying so that I can exhale all the excess nitrogen in my blood, as well as allow my jaw to re-align... does anyone else find their bite is all screwed up after snorkeling/diving, or am I just biting on the regulator too hard???
Day after that I fly to Sydney to Keep Up With the Joneses. I figure that'll be when I finally start getting more pictures up again. Stay tuned.
I was pretty tense going in because I thought I would probably get sea sick and I hate that feeling, so I didn't really enjoy the first few dives. Crowded boats, nervous tension, cold wetsuits, forgotten material from my pool dives... by lunch I was contemplating skipping day 2. But by the time I finished the 3rd dive yesterday afternoon, I was quite enjoying myself. I got used to the rythm of who goes on deck when, when and how to get ready for my dives, remembered what I was supposed to be doing in the water, and generally just relaxed as I realized the motion sickness medication was doing it's job quite well. Plus the spot we went to after lunch may as well have been a pool it was so calm.
In fact, I'm starting to think I have a horse shoe growing out of my butt as just about everything on this trip has been going perfectly (aside from the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon being closed). The waters were so calm that even the crew was excited because they got to go to sites that some of them had never been able to go to before. They said this was as calm as it ever gets, and even last week the water was really choppy with lots of people were getting sick on the boat. Perfect timing for me!! The calmness also means underwater visibility was "amazing" to quote my dive instructor. Couldn't ask for anything better!
Have to admit though, it didn't really look any different than other reefs I've snorkeled in, but it certainly was bigger. I guess I thought "Great" meant it would be the most spectacular thing on Earth, but apparently "Great" just means "Super-Duper-Big". And that it was. The size, combined with the visiblity made for some very memorable views. Saw a shark on my first dive, giant (and I mean GIANT) clams, eels, and an incredible array of colorful fish and corals. Even found Nemo hiding in a soft coral plant exactly the same as in the movie!
Anyway, long story short, I completed my dives and am now a PADI certified open water diver. It felt surprisingly rewarding to get out of the water and have all the crew congratulating me, I wasn't expecting that. I went with Tusa diving, and would highly recommend them. Very friendly and helpful crew, good food, and I got my own private instructor for all 4 of my certification dives. They even let me go back out for a free guided dive with the other certified divers this afternoon since I was done my training. Incidentally, it is A LOT more fun Scuba diving when you get to just explore the reef and swim between the nooks and crannies instead of stopping to show you can clear your mask or retrieve your regulator multiple times.
Tommorrow I'll have to put on some clothes again (haven't showered or dressed in days, just been hanging out in my swimmers and t-shirt since I got here!) and join a day trip to the Daintree Rainforest. That's my mandatory decompression day before flying so that I can exhale all the excess nitrogen in my blood, as well as allow my jaw to re-align... does anyone else find their bite is all screwed up after snorkeling/diving, or am I just biting on the regulator too hard???
Day after that I fly to Sydney to Keep Up With the Joneses. I figure that'll be when I finally start getting more pictures up again. Stay tuned.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Crashing in Cairns
I'm not one to complain about crying babies on flights. I don't have trouble tuning it out. Besides, they are babies, that's what they do.
However I learned on the overnight flight from Osaka to Cairns there's a difference between crying babies and screaming ones. Man that kid had a set of lungs!
After getting all of 3 or 4 hours of very poor sleep on the flight, I caught a cab to the Mantra Esplanade, quite impressed how quickly my "travel-light" methodology got me from plane to hotel... even with having to clear customs it was barely more than 20 minutes. That's when I realized that nothing is open in Cairns at 5:30 in the morning, including the hotels. So much for my hope of checking in early to get a few more hours of sleep. I managed to find a few chairs beside each other on the mezzanine, pulled out my trusting ear plugs, night shade and inflatable travel pillow, and conked out for about 2 and half hours. That inflatable pillow is unquestionably the best $3 I have ever spent in my entire life! Packs light and has probably doubled my in-transit sleeping hours the last 12 months.
Anyway, I've got a day to just relax and meander around the harbour here, who's beauty so far is matched only by the weather... highs of 27 and lows of 20, with sun and a sea breeze to boot it can't be beat. Tomorrow I catch a ship to the Great Barrier Reef where, if I'm not incapacitated by sea sickness, I'll do the first of my 2 days of Open Water dives to complete the SCUBA certification I started in January. I'd make some joke about hoping to see a shark, but truthfully I get pretty creeped out looking at all that alien stuff down there. It's amazing and I relish the experience, but it gives me the willies. I expect to have nightmares afterwards.
Oh, and yesterday was pretty near the perfect day to end the Japan trip. I made it out to Nara, the first Imperial capital of Japan, some 1300 years ago. The number of deer dwarfed Miyajima, and inspite of the rain, I think it was the most scenic and serene spot I saw in Japan. We also took in the Great Buddha Temple, Tujaido or something like that. That sucker is HUGE. I knew it was supposed to be big but it exceeded my expectations by a mile. I've never seen anything like that and I could have just stood and stared at it all day. At over 15 meters tall, it's the largest bronze buddha in the world, housed in the largest all wood building in the world. Definitely one of the highlights of my time in Japan.
We made it back to Osaka with just enough time to do the Doctor Fish thing I mentioned earlier. Fairly expensive for a 10 minute experience, but totally worth it. If I ever manage to get my phone online, I'll get a video up on that. I'm probably overdue for some more pictures too.
But first I'm overdue for some laundry so time to go check in...
However I learned on the overnight flight from Osaka to Cairns there's a difference between crying babies and screaming ones. Man that kid had a set of lungs!
After getting all of 3 or 4 hours of very poor sleep on the flight, I caught a cab to the Mantra Esplanade, quite impressed how quickly my "travel-light" methodology got me from plane to hotel... even with having to clear customs it was barely more than 20 minutes. That's when I realized that nothing is open in Cairns at 5:30 in the morning, including the hotels. So much for my hope of checking in early to get a few more hours of sleep. I managed to find a few chairs beside each other on the mezzanine, pulled out my trusting ear plugs, night shade and inflatable travel pillow, and conked out for about 2 and half hours. That inflatable pillow is unquestionably the best $3 I have ever spent in my entire life! Packs light and has probably doubled my in-transit sleeping hours the last 12 months.
Anyway, I've got a day to just relax and meander around the harbour here, who's beauty so far is matched only by the weather... highs of 27 and lows of 20, with sun and a sea breeze to boot it can't be beat. Tomorrow I catch a ship to the Great Barrier Reef where, if I'm not incapacitated by sea sickness, I'll do the first of my 2 days of Open Water dives to complete the SCUBA certification I started in January. I'd make some joke about hoping to see a shark, but truthfully I get pretty creeped out looking at all that alien stuff down there. It's amazing and I relish the experience, but it gives me the willies. I expect to have nightmares afterwards.
Oh, and yesterday was pretty near the perfect day to end the Japan trip. I made it out to Nara, the first Imperial capital of Japan, some 1300 years ago. The number of deer dwarfed Miyajima, and inspite of the rain, I think it was the most scenic and serene spot I saw in Japan. We also took in the Great Buddha Temple, Tujaido or something like that. That sucker is HUGE. I knew it was supposed to be big but it exceeded my expectations by a mile. I've never seen anything like that and I could have just stood and stared at it all day. At over 15 meters tall, it's the largest bronze buddha in the world, housed in the largest all wood building in the world. Definitely one of the highlights of my time in Japan.
We made it back to Osaka with just enough time to do the Doctor Fish thing I mentioned earlier. Fairly expensive for a 10 minute experience, but totally worth it. If I ever manage to get my phone online, I'll get a video up on that. I'm probably overdue for some more pictures too.
But first I'm overdue for some laundry so time to go check in...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Over and Out in Osaka
We arrived today in our final destination: Osaka. Near as I can tell, it's a mini version of Tokyo, although the shopping districts (Den Den Town and Dotombori) seem to have more strange and wonderful things around than the rest of the country we've seen combined.
We actually got here yesterday, but only stayed for about 10 minutes before boarding another train to Koya-San. No bullet trains this time, just a local train. Picture riding the c-train all the way to Banff and you wouldn't be far off.
Koya-San is the birthplace of Buddhism in Japan, so aside from one small street with restaurants and shops (population ~4000), its full of monastaries, temples, and not much else. That's not a bad thing though. Very quiet and relaxing. We spent most of the day in transit getting there from Hiroshima, then toured a couple temples before heading to the monastery we were staying at. I was picturing some remote mountain place a la Tibet, but it was actually more close to the ryokan we stayed at in Hakone, including the sleeping mat on the floor, but add in monks that prepare and serve your food. The meal was very much like the one I loved so much in Hakone too, except vegetarian. I enjoyed it, as well as the vegetarian breakfast as well, but not everyone agreed. I am pretty sure I'm the only one on this trip who has managed to gain weight. It's all been delicious as far as I'm concerned.
Other than a creepy night-time walk through the cemetery culminating in a short stop at the temple where Kukai, who brought Buddhism to Japan from China some 800 years ago, is said to still be meditating, the real highlight was this morning.
We were awakened at half-six (as my British travelmates like to say), and called to prayers. We sat in a room filled with shrines as 3 monks entered the room, knelt before the shrines, and commenced a kind of song/prayer I had never heard before. Imagine an Asian flavoured Gregorian chant and you'd be pretty close. No cameras allowed unfortunately, it would have been great to record. It's still ringing in my ears. After about 20 minutes of that, we were invited to move forward and take a pinch of incense to sprinkle on what must have been hot ashes, because it went up in smoke as soon as it landed, releasing a wonderful smell that eventually filled the whole room, all whilst the monks continued their prayers. I doubt that's something the average tourist gets to experience, but I thought it a grand experience and left for the train station smiling at how fortunate and blessed I am to be able to do something like this. Not even 25% done, it's already been an incredible trip!
Not much to say about Osaka... Dotombori and Den Den seem like cool areas to explore, but the only thing I was aware of here was the aquarium (supposed to one of the largest in the world, complete with giant manta rays and 2 whale sharks), so my room-mate Lee and I headed there to kill the afternoon before re-joining the group for The Last Supper. Dinner was a total gong-show and even with a guide to translate we couldn't seem to communicate with them at all. Eventually the manager had to come out to settle the bill given all the items we'd ordered and been charged for, even though they were never delivered. A fairwell night of course isn't complete without another round of Karoeke, so we headed off to find that before bidding everyone good-bye. This one actually had a Crash Test Dummies song on tap, so I managed to hold my own better than last time.
Our group tour is now technically over, although several people are spending a few extra days here. A couple of us are going to try to do an early morning trip to Nara as I've heard that's a nice place, and hopefully get back in time to find some doctor fish before heading to the airport for my overnight flight to Cairns.
Thus begins the next leg of my adventure: Australia. I have a free day in Cairns so I'll hopefully get some more photos up before trying my hand at scuba diving. Stay tuned...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Phinally Photos!!!
I know I tend to ramble, and it's much nicer to look at pictures, so I've got a few of them up for you at the link below. Sorry for the wait. It's not terribly organized, but it does cover everything up to Hiroshima.
Incidentally, you can probably go up a level to see (way too many) pics from my trip last year. One of these days I'll get all my pics online and organized.
Let me know if you can't access this. If you are working at Shell though, please call the helpdesk first and have them submit an incident ticket to the HAHAIMHEREYOURNOT que.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashbygreg/Japan#
Incidentally, you can probably go up a level to see (way too many) pics from my trip last year. One of these days I'll get all my pics online and organized.
Let me know if you can't access this. If you are working at Shell though, please call the helpdesk first and have them submit an incident ticket to the HAHAIMHEREYOURNOT que.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashbygreg/Japan#
Hello from Hiroshima
We arrived in Hiroshima yesterday, passing through Himeji and Kobe enroute. The famous Himeji Castle was spotted. The famous Kobe beef was not. I tried, but we only had 10 minutes at the train station.
We had a great group activity last night, starting with an okonomiyaki dinner before heading to Karoke! They have places here where there are rooms upon rooms of Karoke stations you can rent by the hour for a group, so then you only embarrass yourself in front of the people you know and have to see again instead of the people you don't. All you can drink for the hour included for 1000Yen/person. I had never worked up the guts to do it on stage before but it seemed safe enough in a private room so I gave it go and tried to sing along with one of my travel mates, Dean. I didn't know such a thing was possible in non-competitive Karoke, but I got absolutely schooled in Bohemian Rhapsody. I can carry a tune alright, but that guy can really sing!
Loads of fun, and if that kind of establishment were available in Calgary, I could actually see myself imbibing again back home.
This morning was Miyajimi Island. More crowded than I was expecting, but I don't know what I was smoking to be expecting a non-crowded tourist spot in Japan. None the less, it was great, and I could have spent an entire day there easily. Aside from the usual temple-hopping, there was great little streets filled with shops and restaurants. The highlight though was the local deer that are tame enough you could take them home as pets. Someone told me you can even hug them so I decided to try. Surprisingly, it is actually true!
After some sushi for lunch, we headed to the Memorial Peace Park. Hiroshima of course being famous as the site of the first atomic bomb explosion, it was something I had been looking forward to. I almost dozed off on the tram ride over so I was pretty groggy when I got there, but seeing the site of the 'Atomic Dome' brought me racing back to a very contemplative reality. It's one of the few buildings within a kilometer of the epicenter of the explosion that wasn't completely destroyed, although it may as well have been. Instead, what remained was kept as a memorial of the event, and it definitely gives you a sense of the force the bomb unleashed. We also toured through the museum, which was both fascinating and gut-wrenching. I'm not sure if even the Holocaust museums I have seen evoked such strong emotion in me. Enough anger to want to punch someone, enough sadness to want to cry, enough shock to feel sick to my stomach... it's unreal. Don't really know what else to say, other than you can not come to Japan and not go through it. IMHO.
Me being me, I was the last one out of the museum. We were on our own after that so most of the group had skadaddled, but I managed to catch up with one of the girls from the group. We did the necessary debriefing after seeing all that, then strolled past the Hiroshima castle since I had yet to see a Japanese castle. I saw a couple on the bullet train, but 'seeing' something from a bullet train window is a bit of a misnomer. The one today doesn't really count either as it was a reconstruction. Based on the before and after city models in the museum, the original vanished when the bomb was dropped. New one looks nice though. Then we strolled through the nightlife district of Hiroshima, which was quite something. Japan seems very conservative, organized, and efficient, but this area was a little more loud, neon-lighted, and chaotic. It felt like we had left the 'Western' part of South-East Asia and ventured much deeper in... except not really because we still didn't have to think twice about safety. Nice place to grab dinner (Pumpkin Pasta!) before catching the tram back again.
Tommorrow we head out bright and early for one of the ever-growing list of highlights on this trip: Koya-San. I'm not entirely sure what awaits us, other than we have to transfer something like 4 times to get there before ending up at a mountain monastery where we will spend the night hanging with some Buddhist monks, and I believe getting to observe their morning prayers the next day. Couple of ealy mornings coming up, so I should crash...
but first, yes, I have managed to get some pics uploaded... more details in a bit.
We had a great group activity last night, starting with an okonomiyaki dinner before heading to Karoke! They have places here where there are rooms upon rooms of Karoke stations you can rent by the hour for a group, so then you only embarrass yourself in front of the people you know and have to see again instead of the people you don't. All you can drink for the hour included for 1000Yen/person. I had never worked up the guts to do it on stage before but it seemed safe enough in a private room so I gave it go and tried to sing along with one of my travel mates, Dean. I didn't know such a thing was possible in non-competitive Karoke, but I got absolutely schooled in Bohemian Rhapsody. I can carry a tune alright, but that guy can really sing!
Loads of fun, and if that kind of establishment were available in Calgary, I could actually see myself imbibing again back home.
This morning was Miyajimi Island. More crowded than I was expecting, but I don't know what I was smoking to be expecting a non-crowded tourist spot in Japan. None the less, it was great, and I could have spent an entire day there easily. Aside from the usual temple-hopping, there was great little streets filled with shops and restaurants. The highlight though was the local deer that are tame enough you could take them home as pets. Someone told me you can even hug them so I decided to try. Surprisingly, it is actually true!
After some sushi for lunch, we headed to the Memorial Peace Park. Hiroshima of course being famous as the site of the first atomic bomb explosion, it was something I had been looking forward to. I almost dozed off on the tram ride over so I was pretty groggy when I got there, but seeing the site of the 'Atomic Dome' brought me racing back to a very contemplative reality. It's one of the few buildings within a kilometer of the epicenter of the explosion that wasn't completely destroyed, although it may as well have been. Instead, what remained was kept as a memorial of the event, and it definitely gives you a sense of the force the bomb unleashed. We also toured through the museum, which was both fascinating and gut-wrenching. I'm not sure if even the Holocaust museums I have seen evoked such strong emotion in me. Enough anger to want to punch someone, enough sadness to want to cry, enough shock to feel sick to my stomach... it's unreal. Don't really know what else to say, other than you can not come to Japan and not go through it. IMHO.
Me being me, I was the last one out of the museum. We were on our own after that so most of the group had skadaddled, but I managed to catch up with one of the girls from the group. We did the necessary debriefing after seeing all that, then strolled past the Hiroshima castle since I had yet to see a Japanese castle. I saw a couple on the bullet train, but 'seeing' something from a bullet train window is a bit of a misnomer. The one today doesn't really count either as it was a reconstruction. Based on the before and after city models in the museum, the original vanished when the bomb was dropped. New one looks nice though. Then we strolled through the nightlife district of Hiroshima, which was quite something. Japan seems very conservative, organized, and efficient, but this area was a little more loud, neon-lighted, and chaotic. It felt like we had left the 'Western' part of South-East Asia and ventured much deeper in... except not really because we still didn't have to think twice about safety. Nice place to grab dinner (Pumpkin Pasta!) before catching the tram back again.
Tommorrow we head out bright and early for one of the ever-growing list of highlights on this trip: Koya-San. I'm not entirely sure what awaits us, other than we have to transfer something like 4 times to get there before ending up at a mountain monastery where we will spend the night hanging with some Buddhist monks, and I believe getting to observe their morning prayers the next day. Couple of ealy mornings coming up, so I should crash...
but first, yes, I have managed to get some pics uploaded... more details in a bit.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Konichiwa from Kyoto
Logistics first:
- I just realized I had comments locked down... its open to all now so feel free to post away
- Still no Internet access for my phone so no pictures yet, although I just noticed the computer I'm using might have a way to connect it, so there's a chance I might be able to get some up if I have a spot of time in the morning before we head on to Hiroshima...
Kyoto:
Ignoramious that I am, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan before I decide to come here. I knew of Tokyo and wanted to go there. I figured Hiroshima would be an interesting spot. But all the tours I looked at spent hardly any time in Tokyo and more time in some place called Kyoto which I thought very strange and perhaps even annoying.
Now I understand why. Edumacation is a thing good.
Kyoto was the Imperial capital before it moved to Tokyo, and it has shrines and temples coming out the ying-yang. At least as much, possibly even more so, than Europe has churches. Look up 'things to do in Kyoto' and guaranteed the top 10 will be temples, shrines, or castles. I suspect one could stay here an entire month and still not have seen them all.
We took in the Golden Temple, Daikaito Zen Garden, Chiochi Temple and Kuyamuzu Temple, each one quite the experience. I probably completely butchered those last 3, but I've left my notes in my hotel room so I can't remember their correct names. The Golden Temple you've likely seen before in pictures, even I had. But again, no picture does it justice, not even the really good ones. Beautiful is the only word that came to mind.
The real highlight for me today though was hanging out in Gion. It was the first real city area I've seen that was completely modern, with quaint little streets and shops. Kinda like Europe, except Asian. I could have spent a week there just meandering. We wandered back at dusk as we'd been told you might get lucky and spot an official Geisha. We did, and Geisha-spotting became something of a game all evening. Quite addictive at that to be honest... although admittedly it lost some appeal once we realized it wasn't quite as rare and difficult as we were led to believe. Jolly good fun though, a definite highlight of the tour thus far.
I've heard it said that if you only have time for 1 city in Japan, make it Kyoto. After today, I have to whole-heartedly agree. I'll see if that holds up for the rest of the trip, but this may have been my most enjoyable day of the trip thus far. Nothing quite as amazing as the ryokan, but just a great day of touring with the group, free time to explore on our own, and the ambiance of what felt more Asian than Western. I think I finally felt like I'd left the busyness of life and schedules behind today, and have begun to just live and be again.
Sianara,
Greg
PS. I got talking with one of our guides, Aussie Charlie, today and found out he had been a successful financial analyst before a charitable fund-raising trip to Cambodia changed his life and he resigned to do this and 3rd world volunteer work instead... not to scare anyone back in the office... just saying...
- I just realized I had comments locked down... its open to all now so feel free to post away
- Still no Internet access for my phone so no pictures yet, although I just noticed the computer I'm using might have a way to connect it, so there's a chance I might be able to get some up if I have a spot of time in the morning before we head on to Hiroshima...
Kyoto:
Ignoramious that I am, I knew absolutely nothing about Japan before I decide to come here. I knew of Tokyo and wanted to go there. I figured Hiroshima would be an interesting spot. But all the tours I looked at spent hardly any time in Tokyo and more time in some place called Kyoto which I thought very strange and perhaps even annoying.
Now I understand why. Edumacation is a thing good.
Kyoto was the Imperial capital before it moved to Tokyo, and it has shrines and temples coming out the ying-yang. At least as much, possibly even more so, than Europe has churches. Look up 'things to do in Kyoto' and guaranteed the top 10 will be temples, shrines, or castles. I suspect one could stay here an entire month and still not have seen them all.
We took in the Golden Temple, Daikaito Zen Garden, Chiochi Temple and Kuyamuzu Temple, each one quite the experience. I probably completely butchered those last 3, but I've left my notes in my hotel room so I can't remember their correct names. The Golden Temple you've likely seen before in pictures, even I had. But again, no picture does it justice, not even the really good ones. Beautiful is the only word that came to mind.
The real highlight for me today though was hanging out in Gion. It was the first real city area I've seen that was completely modern, with quaint little streets and shops. Kinda like Europe, except Asian. I could have spent a week there just meandering. We wandered back at dusk as we'd been told you might get lucky and spot an official Geisha. We did, and Geisha-spotting became something of a game all evening. Quite addictive at that to be honest... although admittedly it lost some appeal once we realized it wasn't quite as rare and difficult as we were led to believe. Jolly good fun though, a definite highlight of the tour thus far.
I've heard it said that if you only have time for 1 city in Japan, make it Kyoto. After today, I have to whole-heartedly agree. I'll see if that holds up for the rest of the trip, but this may have been my most enjoyable day of the trip thus far. Nothing quite as amazing as the ryokan, but just a great day of touring with the group, free time to explore on our own, and the ambiance of what felt more Asian than Western. I think I finally felt like I'd left the busyness of life and schedules behind today, and have begun to just live and be again.
Sianara,
Greg
PS. I got talking with one of our guides, Aussie Charlie, today and found out he had been a successful financial analyst before a charitable fund-raising trip to Cambodia changed his life and he resigned to do this and 3rd world volunteer work instead... not to scare anyone back in the office... just saying...
Monday, May 17, 2010
High on Hakone
Yesterday I found out our guide was taking us to Harajuku before we left Tokyo, which was an area I had already been too. So had several others... apparently lots of us flew in a day or 2 early. So the four Canadians on the tour banded together and headed for Asakusa to see Sensoji Temple. If you are coming here, that's gotta go on your must see list. The temple exterior was covered up for reconstruction, but the 5 story pagoda and the market streets were the highligh of Tokyo for me. There were several groups of Japanese in short Kimonos (and I do mean short) carrying shrines down the narrow streets, about 20 people to a shrine, hopping up and down and chanting 'Asakusa, Asakusa'. I got some good footage that I'd love to post but haven't been able to get my phone online yet, but I'll get it up when I can. At any rate, that was the moment I really felt like I was in Japan!
We hopped on board the bullet train in the afternoon and heading for Hakone (pronounced with 3 syllables, and yes, it's a place, not a substance :) From what I can tell, it's like a Banff for Tokyo. This may have been the single best night in all my travels thus far!
- we stayed in a Royukan, a traditional Japanese guest house. Everything is screen doors, floors are mats and you aren't allowed to wear shoes on, tables are nay high off the floor so you sit cross-legged on a little pillow. My bunk-mate Lee and I were blown away at the size of our rooms: a sleeping area, a large central room complete with table and cushions for tea, a sun room, bathroom, etc. Might have even been romantic if we hadn't just met... and we both weren't dudes. :)
- after exploring the area a bit we found out there was a monkey on the roof so we went up to take pictures, then realized there were 2 more up there. I guess that's the Japanese equivalent to spotting elk in Banff townsite, except these guys make eye contact and come right up to the window. One of them was less than 10 feet away and staring at us, I thought he might even try to jump in before he jumped in the trees right beside us instead. VERY cool!
- the experience just got better at dinner. We were provided with Kimonos in our room so we kimono'd up and grabbed a spot on the floor for dinner. Each person in our group got their own setting which was something like 10 plates, including one that had a candle under it cooking some pork and vegetables. My personal favorite was the sushi... a few slabs of some kind of white fish on top of an entire whole fish that had its belly meat sliced up and deboned, ready to be plucked and eaten raw, skin and all, with head still attached looking at you. It was hands down the best sushi I have ever had in my life. More and more plates of unidentified food kept coming out until I was beyond stuffed. I've lost count of how many things I've eaten without knowing what it was, but there were several times last night I leaned back, closed my eyes and moaned as I savored it. Absolutely delicious! I was quite surprised to find out I was the most adventerous eater at our table... strange considering how picky an eater I was just a few years ago... I may not be able to stick to my plan of not gaining any weight on this trip.
- the ryukan also had it's own onsen... basically a Japanese natural hotspring. Separate ones for the guys and gals, because apparently here you nude-up, scrub down, and get in. Well... when in Rome... interesting way to get to know your new travelmates!
In short, it was an incredible night!
This morning we headed for a train and boat trip around Hakone to get views on Mt. Fuji. It's renowned for being covered in cloud a lot, and our guide said on 7 trips she's done this far, she's only seen it once. Well, we must have gotten lucky because we got some tremendous views of it. I wasn't expecting much because (a) every description said not to get your hopes up and (b) it's just a mountain right? The first spotting had me eating my words... I was quite taken back by the sight. Even when I get pictures up it won't do it justice, nor did any other pictures I've ever seen of it. Massive and Majestic is probably the best description I can manage. A definite highlight, and one sight that I'm sure will remain with me for years.
After a comical bus trip back to the train station... check that, some people rode the bus, myself and some of the other guys walked it because we couldn't all fit on... we caught the bullet train to Kyoto. Not much to report here yet but we did go out to a Japanese pub for dinner and ate more delicious and strange foods. I never would have thought of grilling avacado but that was... I gotta stop saying delicious, but that's what it was. Not the popcorn chicken tendons, or whatever that was. I'll leave that and the gizzards alone from now on, although I was one of the few who got it down. This has been easily the best Japanese food I've eaten... even the miso soup at breakfast was the best I'd ever had... although maybe the experience is just biasing my tastebuds.
More from Kyoto later... this is the old Imperial City so I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Sianara!
We hopped on board the bullet train in the afternoon and heading for Hakone (pronounced with 3 syllables, and yes, it's a place, not a substance :) From what I can tell, it's like a Banff for Tokyo. This may have been the single best night in all my travels thus far!
- we stayed in a Royukan, a traditional Japanese guest house. Everything is screen doors, floors are mats and you aren't allowed to wear shoes on, tables are nay high off the floor so you sit cross-legged on a little pillow. My bunk-mate Lee and I were blown away at the size of our rooms: a sleeping area, a large central room complete with table and cushions for tea, a sun room, bathroom, etc. Might have even been romantic if we hadn't just met... and we both weren't dudes. :)
- after exploring the area a bit we found out there was a monkey on the roof so we went up to take pictures, then realized there were 2 more up there. I guess that's the Japanese equivalent to spotting elk in Banff townsite, except these guys make eye contact and come right up to the window. One of them was less than 10 feet away and staring at us, I thought he might even try to jump in before he jumped in the trees right beside us instead. VERY cool!
- the experience just got better at dinner. We were provided with Kimonos in our room so we kimono'd up and grabbed a spot on the floor for dinner. Each person in our group got their own setting which was something like 10 plates, including one that had a candle under it cooking some pork and vegetables. My personal favorite was the sushi... a few slabs of some kind of white fish on top of an entire whole fish that had its belly meat sliced up and deboned, ready to be plucked and eaten raw, skin and all, with head still attached looking at you. It was hands down the best sushi I have ever had in my life. More and more plates of unidentified food kept coming out until I was beyond stuffed. I've lost count of how many things I've eaten without knowing what it was, but there were several times last night I leaned back, closed my eyes and moaned as I savored it. Absolutely delicious! I was quite surprised to find out I was the most adventerous eater at our table... strange considering how picky an eater I was just a few years ago... I may not be able to stick to my plan of not gaining any weight on this trip.
- the ryukan also had it's own onsen... basically a Japanese natural hotspring. Separate ones for the guys and gals, because apparently here you nude-up, scrub down, and get in. Well... when in Rome... interesting way to get to know your new travelmates!
In short, it was an incredible night!
This morning we headed for a train and boat trip around Hakone to get views on Mt. Fuji. It's renowned for being covered in cloud a lot, and our guide said on 7 trips she's done this far, she's only seen it once. Well, we must have gotten lucky because we got some tremendous views of it. I wasn't expecting much because (a) every description said not to get your hopes up and (b) it's just a mountain right? The first spotting had me eating my words... I was quite taken back by the sight. Even when I get pictures up it won't do it justice, nor did any other pictures I've ever seen of it. Massive and Majestic is probably the best description I can manage. A definite highlight, and one sight that I'm sure will remain with me for years.
After a comical bus trip back to the train station... check that, some people rode the bus, myself and some of the other guys walked it because we couldn't all fit on... we caught the bullet train to Kyoto. Not much to report here yet but we did go out to a Japanese pub for dinner and ate more delicious and strange foods. I never would have thought of grilling avacado but that was... I gotta stop saying delicious, but that's what it was. Not the popcorn chicken tendons, or whatever that was. I'll leave that and the gizzards alone from now on, although I was one of the few who got it down. This has been easily the best Japanese food I've eaten... even the miso soup at breakfast was the best I'd ever had... although maybe the experience is just biasing my tastebuds.
More from Kyoto later... this is the old Imperial City so I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Sianara!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Touchdown in Tokyo
It's 11PM on Saturday here... I think that means it's about 8AM Saturday in Calgary, so I should be just waking up, but instead I'm getting ready for bed. This is the first time I've crossed the international date line and it's doing a real number on my sense of time. I haven't had any issues sleeping though... after waking up at the crack of dawn this morning and having breakfast, I figured I'd take a quick nap... which ended up lasting till 2PM. So much for getting here a day early to explore Tokyo on my own! :)
I did get out after that though. Road the train from Shinagawa Station (across from my hotel) to Shibuya, walked to Omotosande then to Harajuku, then up through the Meiji Gardens, then on to Shinjuku. Then headed back on the train to my hotel to meet my group for dinner. Seems like a good bunch of people. Lots from England, a couple of us Canadians, and a sprinkling of Aussies, South Africans and Americans.
Anyway, they charge 100yen for 10 minutes of Internet here so I'll switch to trusty point form and give a quick update of my experience thus far. Sorry, no pics as I haven't managed to get my phone online yet:
- flight was surprising tolerable and I still felt good when I got here. Air Canada has come along way and I think I can officially say I no longer hate them. It was also the first time I've been served an airline flight with chop sticks.
- Since landing here, I've had that same stupid grin on my face that I first got when arriving in Moscow last year... the 'I can't believe I'm here' grin. Confusing train signs, rice fields, people bowing, strange foods... yup, I'm not in Kansas anymore
- on the train yesterday, as the rice fields gave way to buildings which got noticeably larger every few minutes, I started wondering why after all these years of thinking about going to London, it never occurred to me to come here when the flight is about the same? And why we fly East to get to Western Europe, and West to get to the Far East? And whether all my thoughts where that profound, or just when I'm tired enough to fall asleep with my eyes wide open?
- Japanese people are extremely courteous and friendly. About half the signs of at least a word or 2 of English on them. Train stations are fairly easy to figure out, albeit crazy busy. Shinjuku Station is supposedly the busiest in the entire world, and after going through it today, I would believe it. All in all though, Tokyo is very accessible to this Western Ignoramus, equipped with all of 4 Japanese words, and I can't imagine anyone having any trouble touring this place on their own, especially given how willing, even eager, Japanese people are to help. If anything, Tokyo is more modern and Westernized than the West, and I'm hoping we get into a little away from that on this trip.
- The food isn't Westernized though, and although you could eat like a Canadian here if you wanted to, I've already had at least 4 experiences of putting something in my mouth without knowing what it was. 3 of them were delicious. Chicken hearts by the way are fantastic. Chicken Gizzards I could do without.
- I'm staying at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. Look it up. It's insane. 4 Towers, over 3000 rooms, bowling lanes, shopping, even an aquarium. And I don't think that includes the Grand Prince and the New Prince either. My room was equipped was a bidet as well which I've never tried before, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I hit the stop button right after it started and will never do that again. I feel so violated.
Anyway, I'm almost out of time so I'll sign off for now. On to Hakone and Mt. Fuji tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Plans
Given earthquakes and oil spills to the South, volcanoes and Norwegian Police to the West, and, uhm, nothing to the North, I've decided to venture East in pursuit of adventures this year. That and I promised some good friends I'd come visit them during their stint in Aussie land and the time had come to fulfill such vows.
I get cranky on a 3 hour car trip though, so the thought of a 20 hour flight overwhelmed me and I thought I could maybe break it up a bit with a stop-over in Japan en route, and another in New Zealand on the way back. That last one doesn't actually make the return trip any shorter, but it at least crosses another country off my to-do list.
Full travel plans are below:
View Greg Ashby's Pacific Rim Trip in a larger map
I just finished packing and have a 40 hour day ahead of me so I best keep this short. Instead of going into detail I'll keep you in suspense, but I will list off my "goals" for this trip because, hey, if you don't write it down, you won't accomplish it right?
Japan
To be honest, I've never been to any Asian country before, so this part of the trip is mostly just about soaking in a different culture:
- eat lots of Japanese food
- see lots of Japanese sights
- learn a bit about Japanese history (I know almost none going in)
- survive a day in Tokyo on my own
- pay my respects in Hiroshima
- hang out with some monks in a mountain monastery (yep, it's on the agenda)
- find out, once and for all, whether or not the Emperor has any clothes
Australia
- scuba dive at the great barrier reef
- soak up some sun on the beach (if that's possible this time of year?)
- see the Outback
- eat a kangaroo
- see a koala, dingo, and duck-billed platypus
- fight a cassowary
- watch a toilet flush backwards
- play a game of knifey-spoonsies
- and of course, try to keep up with the Jones
New Zealand
- drive on the wrong side of the road, preferably with no accidents
- see a kiwi (the bird)
- eat some fresh kiwi (the fruit)
- visit The Shire
- go black-water rafting
- do something crazy... cause that is what New Zealanders are known for, correct?
That should keep me busy for about 4 weeks I figure. See you in June!
I get cranky on a 3 hour car trip though, so the thought of a 20 hour flight overwhelmed me and I thought I could maybe break it up a bit with a stop-over in Japan en route, and another in New Zealand on the way back. That last one doesn't actually make the return trip any shorter, but it at least crosses another country off my to-do list.
Full travel plans are below:
View Greg Ashby's Pacific Rim Trip in a larger map
I just finished packing and have a 40 hour day ahead of me so I best keep this short. Instead of going into detail I'll keep you in suspense, but I will list off my "goals" for this trip because, hey, if you don't write it down, you won't accomplish it right?
Japan
To be honest, I've never been to any Asian country before, so this part of the trip is mostly just about soaking in a different culture:
- eat lots of Japanese food
- see lots of Japanese sights
- learn a bit about Japanese history (I know almost none going in)
- survive a day in Tokyo on my own
- pay my respects in Hiroshima
- hang out with some monks in a mountain monastery (yep, it's on the agenda)
- find out, once and for all, whether or not the Emperor has any clothes
Australia
- scuba dive at the great barrier reef
- soak up some sun on the beach (if that's possible this time of year?)
- see the Outback
- eat a kangaroo
- see a koala, dingo, and duck-billed platypus
- fight a cassowary
- watch a toilet flush backwards
- play a game of knifey-spoonsies
- and of course, try to keep up with the Jones
New Zealand
- drive on the wrong side of the road, preferably with no accidents
- see a kiwi (the bird)
- eat some fresh kiwi (the fruit)
- visit The Shire
- go black-water rafting
- do something crazy... cause that is what New Zealanders are known for, correct?
That should keep me busy for about 4 weeks I figure. See you in June!
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