Far Away Land

At the Museum

2007-05-24T19:00:00.000+10:00

Our friend Kimberley, oops we mean Lana or was it Tanya (that right, it was Tanya) took us on an adventure today. We all went to the Museum.

Auckland has the best museum that we have ever been too. It is like Scienceworks, the aquarium, the shrine, a dress up party, a theatre and a museum all in one huge building!

We went to a traditional Maori performance, saw sea creatures swimming about, read about the ANZACs and built ancient buildings. Then when we were done, we went for a run through the domain.

Thanks for a great day Tanya,
Love AJ and Milla

(if you want to see some more photos from our day with Tanya,

check out her blog - lost in smith street)

Studying Volcanos

2007-05-24T18:31:00.000+10:00

I went to the Auckland Museum to study volcanos today. I found out that not only is the lava dangerous, but the ash from the volcano is dangerous too.

I saw a person who was buried in ash from a volcano errupting in Pompei a trillion years ago.

I think that when I explore volcanos, I will make sure I wear a vulcanologist suit like this one.

Love AJ Pickle

My Old Nighbourhood

2007-05-23T20:14:00.000+10:00

Today we explored the city and I showed Milla where I used to live.

This is the front door; unfortunately I didn’t have a key to get inside the building.

Since we couldn’t go inside my old building, I showed Milla the park I used to play in. It is called Albert Park and it is just over the road from my old house.

Albert Park is fun to play in. Here are lots of different sculptures to climb, paths to wander and gardens to explore.

It was a shame that is was raining, but luckily it wasn’t cold.
Love AJ Pickle

Sundaes on Tuesday

2007-05-22T19:12:00.000+10:00

Today the mums wanted some chocolate. Instead of going to the dairy (that’s a little shop or milk bar to everyone else in the rest of the world), we went to Parnell to the Chocolate Boutique.

The mums shared a huge dessert with a giant piece of chocolate mud cake and a chocolate sundae that had chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, chocolate mousse, chocolate pieces, chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles. All the kids had was a little sundae with ice cream and whipped cream!

Luckily even the kid size ice cream sundaes at the Chocolate Boutique were delicious.
Love Princess George

The Viaduct

2007-05-22T17:12:00.000+10:00

Just at the end of the street from our apartment is the Viaduct. Last time I was in Auckland we used to come here to see all the boats that were racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, to get ready for the Americas Cup.

This time there is no major race to watch but there are still heaps of boats around and it is a great place to play and explore.

Love AJ Pickle

Jungles in the Park

2007-05-21T20:09:00.000+10:00

We had a little bit of spare time today, before our apartment was ready, so I decided to show Milla some of the places I used to go to when I was little.

First we went to La Porchetta on Parnell Road for pizza and hot chocolates. (I had convinced the Kiwis 5 years ago that it was great pizza and they still believe me.) Then we went over the road to Heard Park for a swing so I could show her where I went to Playgroup.

After that we went to a secret park called Scarborough Reserve. I was only just a baby when I last went to Scarborough Reserve, so I had only been on the path, this time I was big enough to go exploring with Milla.

Just off the main path through the park, there were secret paths that took us through a jungle. It was amazing. The paths were twisty and overgrown. There were bridges over the streams and steep hills to climb. It was great fun.

I hope that I get to go back to Scarborough Reserve, it would be the best place to play hide and seek.
Love AJ Pickle

My New House

2007-05-21T19:10:00.000+10:00

Well today we went to our new house. It is an apartment at the Viaduct in Auckland. It is really nice. It has 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and a kitchen, meals and family area downstairs, as well as another bathroom and laundry.

Outside we have our own courtyard and then outside the courtyard we have another big courtyard to explore. It is a great holiday house.

Love Princess George

Penguins

2007-05-21T17:08:00.000+10:00

We went to Kelly Tarlton’s today. Kelly Tarlton’s was like an aquarium, but it had penguins as well as stingrays, sharks, sea horses and Sponge Bob Squarepants.

Did you know that some penguins are as tall as Milla?
They are almost as tall as me, see!

It was amazing; we went on a ride on a snowmobile that took us through the snow and ice, just like we were in Antarctica. There were penguins swimming around and dancing on the ice. We even went exploring in a hut that was built just like the huts that the explorers lived in when they were in Antarctica.

I wonder if mum and dad will take me to Antarctica for a holiday one day?
Love AJ Pickle, the explorer

Peter

2007-05-20T21:06:00.000+10:00

As we were driving back to Auckland, we found a gypsy market. It looked really exciting, so we stopped to have a look. There were some amazing things to buy. I asked (read begged) for a go on the lucky dip and for a ride on a pony.

I had a great ride on Peter the Pony. Milla didn’t want to ride on the pony; she just wanted to pat Rosie instead.

I hope we find another gypsy market to explore.
Love AJ Pickle

Strange Beaches

2007-05-20T20:05:00.000+10:00

We stopped at a beach in Orewa on the way home from the hot pools.

It was a really nice beach, but it was nothing like any other beach I have seen. The sand on the beach was really dark; it looked more like mud than sand. The sand was covered in shells. I have never seen so many shells. I used shells to decorate the people I drew in the sand.

Although the beach was strange, it was lots of fun.
Love Princess George

A Day at the Movies

2007-05-20T19:02:00.000+10:00

After the hard climb to the top of Rangitoto yesterday, today was to be a relaxing day at the Waiwera Thermal Pools.

We set up our gear next to what looked to be the pool of choice – a natural pool warmed to 38 degrees, under cover in case it rained with a big screen were we could watch movies.

The other pools ranged in temperature from freezing – the kid’s adventure pool to the ridiculous 48 degree lava pool. I couldn’t quite bring myself to go into either one. I did have a go on a waterslide, if only to prove to Milla that it was safe. It may not have been a high slide but it was fast. Sean was a little more adventurous and went on lots of different slides.

Relaxing in a thermal pool is definitely the way to recover from volcano climbing.

Catastrophe on the Volcano

2007-05-19T21:52:00.000+10:00

A trip to Rangitoto meant a ferry ride and a long, long walk to the top. It also meant hundreds (well almost hundreds) of photos…

the kids running across the lava fields
the kids being plastered with bandaids after falling on the lava fields
the views of the harbour from the walking track
the kids crawling through the caves
the kids crying after hitting their head on the roof of the lava cave
eventually the view from the summit
looking into the crater
even Sean and the kids standing on the roof of the hut at the summit

As I said, heaps of photos that were taken, then disaster struck.

I had been taking photos with both cameras for the entire walk, and managed to fill one SD card. I changed the card for the new card I had bought. I put the card in and it wouldn’t work – it kept saying card error, unable to read card. Help, what could I do, half of my photo storage wasn’t working. I thought something was wrong with my camera, so I swapped cards and put the card into the little camera. BIG mistake – it didn’t work in that camera either. Not only that, when I put the original card back in the little camera, it reported that it now had an error on it too!

Help – what was I to do, we were only half way through the day and I was camera-less! I had taken heaps of photos on the climb up that I could no longer access. Total disaster! The only photos I could rescue were the ones on the temporary card I used prior to the catastrophe, all 13 of them!

(this is one of my favourites)

Oh well, it looks like we will have to come back to Auckland, just to make another journey to Rangitoto! I don’t think the kids would cope with another 4 or so hours of walking up and down a volcano this trip.

Despite having very few photos of the day, it was fantastic. The walk was fun and all the kids came home with souvenirs – not only of lava rocks and leaves but of injuries. Tim had skin off his elbows from his few minutes out of the back pack, AJ had skin off both his knees and Milla was the champion with scratches to her cheek, stomach and her knees!

Volcanos

2007-05-19T17:50:00.000+10:00

When we got up this morning, the grownups packed heaps of food and water into backpacks and we went into Auckland to catch a ferry to Rangitoto.

I was a little worried on the ferry, remembering my first boat ride in Sydney where a huge wave crashed through the window and nearly drowned me. Luckily this ferry was much bigger and there were no waves in the harbour.

It didn’t take long to get to Rangitoto and start climbing. The signs at the start of the track said that it would take 1 hour of walking to get to the top.

The first part of the walk was pretty easy. Luke and I could run ahead with Dad, and then explore the lava fields while we waited for the others to catch up. We spent a lot of time waiting – Milla doesn’t walk as fast as a 5 year old and she was happy stopping at every plant to see if it was prickly or soft, to smell every flower and to look for special lava rocks. Mum was almost as slow, she kept I was taking photos every step of the way.

About 1½ hours into the trek, we detoured to explore the caves. Dad borrowed someone’s head lamp and he followed Luke and me into the caves. The mums and the little kids went through the easy caves and Greg decided to relax for a few minutes (he had been carrying Timothy most of the way up and was pooped) and I think he needed the peace and quiet.

When we finished exploring the caves, we kept walking to the summit. Apparently only another 20 minutes to the top – that translates to at least 40 minutes walk at Milla speed. We started off pretty fast because mum gave Milla another piggy back.

Finally we made it to the top of the volcano and we could see for miles around, and into the volcano. It was pretty huge. It was filled with trees and plants. Although it was beautiful, I think that I would rather see real lava inside the volcano instead of plants. I wonder if they will let us climb up the volcano if the lava was boiling hot?

Climbing volcanos is fantastic; I hope I can climb another volcano soon.
Love AJ Pickle

Haven’t lost my touch!

2007-05-18T20:48:00.000+10:00

Staying like the Fowlies with Luke, Timothy, Sheila and Greg is just like being at home. It was so much like being at home that when Sean got back from his meetings he decided to go for a walk (read ‘to look for a pub’).

First stop was the bottle shop just down the road where he asked the attendant if he knew where the pub was. The attendant apparently looked confused so Sean explained further…hotel, bar, place to drink beer with other beer drinkers. The attendant still looked confused yet a fellow customer was able to assist.

She was able not only to give directions to a couple of pubs and places of alcohol consumption, but she was able to describe the likely clientele. The first, and closer choice was a pokie venue and likely to be filled with boring people. The other choice, although further away was on the beach and much cooler.

Sean being Sean decided that the second pub was the place to go. Off he went on the trek to the ‘nice’ pub. He had barely left the bottle shop when a car pulls up along side him. He tells me that the conversation went something like this.

Unknown female, “Are you going to the pub now?”
Sean, “Yup.”

Unknown female, “I really shouldn’t be doing this but…do you want a lift?”
Sean, “Well I really shouldn’t get in but…why not!”

So Sean goes driving with a woman he has only just met. Along the drive she pointed out not only where she worked but where she lived. She also questioned what Sean was doing looking for a pub by himself. Sean explained that his friend had gone home to sleep as he had had a big night last night, so he had nothing to do. He forgot to mention that he could be back at home getting dinner for his wife and kids!

After a few drinks, and yet another invitation to come back to her house, Sean decided he had better try to work out how to get back to Sheila and Greg’s house! Apparently it was much further away from home than he expected, but it was worth the walk just to know that he ‘still had it’!

Old Friends

2007-05-18T17:46:00.000+10:00

We have a new house to stay in for the weekend. Not only is it full of toys and books, there are kids to play with – Luke and Timothy.

Luke is 5 years old, just like me. In fact, we knew each other when we were tiny little kids. We used to go to swimming together, to the park and even to explore volcanos together!

I think that we are going to have some great adventures together.
Love AJ Pickle

SuperRelish in Aotearoa

2007-05-18T16:44:00.000+10:00

The logic applied to flying at night was simple; we could all get flights using frequent flyer points, it would also give Sean time to get back from Sydney to fly with us. As well as that, the kids would be able sleep on the flight, then when we arrived we would go straight to a motel near the airport, have a great sleep and wake refreshed ready for our holiday.

The theory was great and it almost worked. AJ slept for the second half of the flight, so Sean slept too. Milla would yawn and then say ‘I never get tired!’ Each yawn would bring her closer to hyperactivity. Luckily it was only a 4 hour flight.

We had no hassles getting to the motel and collapsing into bed. Sean set his alarm so he would make it to his meeting in time. Unfortunately he forgot to change time zones and we woke before the alarm, but still an hour later than planned.

A quick shower and breakfast and it was time to go, our holiday in New Zealand was about to begin.

Fun Run?

2007-01-04T19:22:00.000+11:00

Just because fun and run rhyme,
it doesn't imply that they should ever be linked together!

OK, so entering a fun run isn't really about being in a 'Far Away Land', but it is about being in a 'Far Away Reality' and that is close enough for me. Really I just want the world to know that I was there, I was one of the 26,000 odd people who decided that Sunday morning was a lovely morning to run 15.2km!

The plans for entering the Run for the Kids started in early December. It seemed like a feasible option; to train for 4 solid months to be fit enough to enter. Well before we knew it January, February and even March had been and gone, and so had my plans for training and getting fit. Oh well, I had said that I was going to do it and I am not one to go back on my word.

I read the pre-race booklet, skipping the pages that mentioned about how all the training would pay off on the day, focusing on tips for a successful fun. These included eating lots of carbs and going light on the protein the night before, not drinking alcohol and drinking plenty of water. This I translated to - eat does fish and chips with Sharn and the kids for dinner, (minus the fish), not opening a bottle of wine and drinking a few bottles of water. All this seemed to do was to make my stomach queasy from the greasy food that was floating around on top of all of the water. It also kept me awake with multiple bathroom visits during the night!

Race day we met up with the rest of the 'City Pigs' and wandered down towards the starting area. It was mayhem. I have never seen so many people all wanting to run! I had had more water to drink with breakfast - as suggested in the tips booklet. This made me need to go to the toilet again. Alas the line for the toilet was at least 100 people deep, per entry door, per truck. I wouldn't be getting there any time soon.

As it was 8.30, the scheduled start time for the run, I figured I could hold on until the first 'emergency toilet' at the 3 km mark, if only the run would begin. Eventually the race began for the wheelchair athletes, the elite athletes, the fast runners and eventually the rest of us. It took forever just to shuffle to the starting line, but eventually we were on our way.

I ran with Larinda and Jen for the first 2 and a bit kms and then stopped to take photos in the tunnel. I could see them ahead of me, but I could also see the toilet. By this stage the need for a toilet was much more important than having someone to run with. I shuffled into the toilet line, only to stand there for 15 or so minutes, waiting patiently in line with all the other people who didn't want to wait in line before the race, before the clock was ticking!

Back on the road and out of the tunnel, I was on the long road to the bridge. The traffic had thinned out and you could actually move comfortably along the road, regardless of the speed you were traveling. I was middle of the walking pack. I was overtaking quite a few people, but runners were overtaking me left, right and centre. It was amazing seeing so many people moving together, some whole families with the kids in a stroller, others with the kids running alongside. If a few cases, the dad carrying the kids.

Just before the bridge, there were quite a few departures from the road. They weren't pulling out, they were just making the most of the last shrub-like toilet facilities planted alongside the road (Oh to be a boy - it would have been so much easier!) before the bridge.

The bridge was a long slow climb, passing the 7 km mark just as the bridge crossed the Yarra. I thought that it was an opportune time to begin sending random text messages to people and snapping a few more pictures. This may be the only time I stand on top of the Bolte Bridge - I had to have photographic proof.

It was more than 2km over the bridge, and we hit the 9km mark just before the exit to Footscray Road. I had made it - I had achieved my goal - to make it over the Bolte. If you were taking too long, a bus would pick you up and drive you over the Bolte! Now all I had to do was finish the race.

The stroll back through the city was quite pleasant. There were heaps of people about wishing all the participants well. Wandering along the front of Crown was relaxing, thinking that we were almost done.

I hadn't actually looked at the map to realise that we crossed back over the Yarra at Queens Bridge, to go around Flinders Street Station. It made sense, but it was disheartening to have the finish line moved further away.

Time for a distraction, a few more text messages to be sent. I even tried calling Sharn to try and find out where the kids were. Unfortunately there was too much noise to actually work out where to find the kids, or to explain where they needed to be to see me run. I could have stopped to look for them, but by now, 2 hours in, I was well and ready to sit down.

The finish line was only 800 meters away when Sean found me. He jogged with me part of the way, then took off cross country to get a photo of me crossing the finish line. I couldn't believe that I had the energy to actually run at the end (it may not have been very fast, but it was definitely a run!).

My first fun run was done. 15.2 km in 2 hours and 11 minutes. It wasn't as bad as I imagined, I will even try to do it again next year, perhaps even run some more of it. I would like to think that I will train before the next run...but that is a whole year away, why start now?

Back to Reality

2006-08-08T15:16:00.000+10:00

Well it feels like my time in Japan was all but a distant, wonderful memory. I have slipped back into the 'real world' of work, kinder and kids activities far too easily.

Oh well, at least I have hundreds of photos to look at to remind me of my holiday away, and plans to make for another adventure...

Tokyo

Originally uploaded by superRelish.

If you want to see more photos of my adventures in Tokyo, check out my flickr pages!

Home Sweet Home

2006-08-02T10:45:00.000+10:00

Finally, after 2 very long and crowded flights, we made it back to the Land of Oz. Our flight was to arrive at 7am. I asked Sean and the to meet us at the airport at 8am, figuring that an hour would allow for flight delays and customs. Surprisingly enough, the flight was on time, perhaps even early. Customs was no hassle, even though my bags were filled with chocolates and we made it to the 'other side' at 7.30, before the kids and Sean arrived.

It was wonderful to see the look of love on their faces as they ran towards me in the airport.

Excess Baggage

2006-08-01T20:45:00.000+10:00

Well I arrived in Japan with a huge suitcase that was less than half full, weighing about 10 kilos, with a limit of 20 kilos. I knew that I would buy heaps to bring back, as well as bringing back some of Ellen's things for her.

When it was time to check our luggage, my now full bag weighed in at 22 kilos, Ellen's bag was 33 and she had another smaller suitcase that was almost 10 kilos. Ellen didn't really mind, she was happy to pay for excess baggage. The girl checking our luggage told us that if we rearranged the luggage so that the 2 big bags were 50 kilos between them, she would let us take the smaller bag on as carry-on.

Well who are we to argue? We sat in the middle of the airport with our cases open, moving everything around until we met the weight limit and didn't have to pay any excess. Good in theory (although the same amount of luggage would be onboard?) but not so practical. I had my once light carry-on bag now overflowing with books and heavier items and Ellen's camera bag. Ellen had her own also overflowing carry-on bag, her laptop and now her small suitcase that weighed over 15 kilos. Add to that the duty free shopping and we took up quite a lot of room! Oh well, it all made it back to Australia (at no extra cost) and that is all that really counts!

Home Time Already! :-(

2006-08-01T08:31:00.000+10:00

Well it is hard to believe that a week has disappeared already. We are packing our bags and are getting ready to go.

Dai, who had been away for the majority of the time we were in Tokyo, actually had time off work, so he came to entertain us as we finished packing. Yoshi said goodbye to us yesterday. He couldn't wait around to say goodbye to us the morning as he was in the middle of brain surgery! Ritsuko came home from the hospital to walk us (and far too much luggage) to the bus terminal.

Ritsuko and Dai meet the police!

Finally it was time to go. I had an amazing time in Tokyo. Thank you Yoshi, Ritsuko, Obaasan (grandma), Dai and Chaiaki for sharing your home with us and for showing us your wonderful city.

Last Day Luxury

2006-07-31T22:20:00.000+10:00

Hmmm, what to do for our last full day in a hectic crazy city? Lets go to Odaiba Onsen, an onsen 'theme park'!

First stop, check in our shoes, get our 'e-tags' and yukata and it was time to relax.

The rules of the onsen - no clothes allowed past the change rooms. Everyone there had to wear their underwear only under a yukata, but that was all. The onsen itself, all you were allowed was a bare butt and a tiny towel.

Having never been to an onsen before and growing up in a country where the only place you would find a large group of naked people is in the changerooms after a footy match, I found this a little weird!

We did the safest onsen option first - a foot onsen. A nice false stream through beautifully manicured garden. Relaxing our aching feet in a warm stream. This was wonderful, but tame, so we decided to upgrade our onsen experience.

Next stop - Doctor Fish! We paid an extra 1000 yen ($12) to sit with our feet in a small warm pool so that some small fish could nibble all the dead skin cells on our feet. OK, so everyone thinks this is disgusting, but it was actually really ticklish and fun. I had to concentrate to make sure I didn't giggle, as every giggle or twitch made the fish swim away, and well you know me - I wanted value for money. The doctor fish provided a very relaxing 15 minutes.

(These are my feet and the 'doctor fish', and no I don't have cankles - it is merely the angle the photo was taken from!)

We were on a roll, so next we thought we would try a sand bath. Another 1000 yen and we were in a heated barn like building, laying in a giant sandpit being buried up to our necks in heated sand. Another bizarre experience. The weight of the sand combined with the heat of the sand (someone said something about 40 degrees?) allowed you to feel the blood pump throughout your body. I couldn't get my wedding ring off before the sand bath, so my hand had to be wrapped in a towel before it was buried to prevent swelling of my fingers and being burnt by the metal. Another strange but very relaxing encounter, but after 10 minutes I was almost cooked.

The real 'normal' onsen was amazing. Heated mineral pools, spas and saunas of all temperatures both inside and out. Once I was accustomed to the 'get naked with a bunch of strangers' concept, the onsen was amazing.

It is amazing how exhausting it is just relaxing all day long....

Oh well, back to reality. It is now time to pack and tidy, ready for the journey home.

Night Lights

2006-07-30T22:52:00.000+10:00

Last night was spent with a relaxing night lights tour of the city. We started with a delicious dinner in the Washington Hotel, on the 21st floor, with a beautiful view of the city. This was followed with a short bus ride to the Statue of Liberty. It is a life size replica of the French statue (not the American one) so it is much smaller but still pretty.

A trip over the rainbow bridge followed and then through Ginza to view the most expensive real estate in the world, filled with some of the most expensive shops in the world. The tour finished in an observatory 250 meters above sea level with an amazing view of the city, from Tokyo Disney, to the Tokyo Tower, the Rainbow Bridge and more lights than you can possibly imagine.

Thank you so much Yoshi and Ritsuko for giving us the chance to see Tokyo by Hato Bus at night!

Those Crazy Kids!

2006-07-30T21:22:00.000+10:00

Any guide book will tell you that a trip to Tokyo MUST include a Sunday afternoon in Harajuku, to see all of the young people in their Sunday finest. The area around the station is filled with a 'freak show' and hundreds of tourists taking photos of the freak show.

Their parents must be so proud! I guess most kids leave home for the day in normal clothes and take with them a suitcase for their costume and makeup!

The guidebook was right; the parade at Harajuku is well worth a visit!

Fireworks

2006-07-29T22:52:00.000+10:00

The predictions were true. To get a front row viewing position for the fireworks, you would have had to waste a beautiful summers day. Instead, after we enjoyed our delicious meal, we wandered along the river toward the fireworks. We only had to walk for 5 minutes before we could see the fireworks.

We walked as far as we could before traffic stopped us. We were still miles away, so far away that you could not even hear the noise. Fortunately for us, fireworks is a visual thing, and we were both tall enough to see from far away!

Even from such a distance, the fireworks were spectacular. A beautiful way to spend a balmy summers evening!

Picnic on the Roof

2006-07-29T22:29:00.000+10:00

There was a huge fireworks display over the river tonight, but we heard that if you want to get a really good viewing spot, you have to set up camp early in the afternoon. We didn't really want to waste the best part of the day doing nothing, so instead we planned on walking along the river that night, hoping to see some of the fireworks.

It was great planning, just as we arrived back, to get organised for the fireworks, Ritsuko invited us to join them on the roof for an early dinner before the fireworks. We set up the table and helped Ritsuko bring the food upstairs (via the lift) as Yoshi went out to get some tempura.

We enjoyed what could be described as the Japanese equivalent of a barbeque; tempura, edamame, salad, cold noodles and pickles. It was a delicious meal. I will have to try and introduce some of the delicious foods we ate for our barbeques back at home.

Japanese Tea

2006-07-29T21:58:00.000+10:00

Over the past few months I have begun to acquire a taste for some tea varieties, but I have to say I am not a huge fan of your normal, every day black tea varieties. Well I can now say that I am not a fan of traditional Japanese green tea.

Picture mowing the lawn in summer, and then hosing out the mulchy grass that is still in the catcher. Then boil this grassy mixture and make tea. The tea looks bright green, with foam on top. It smells like grass and to make it worse, this tea tasted like a huge shot of hot wheat grass that was flavoured with seaweed. Interesting, but not a flavour that I have acquired a taste for at this stage!

We stopped for a traditional tea at the Hamarikyu Garden boat house. Fortunately the tea was accompanied by a traditional sweet. The sweet looked amazing, and the best way to describe the taste would be sugar coated refried beans! Strange but delicious.

Surprise Gardens

2006-07-29T21:51:00.000+10:00

After the fish markets, we had no real plans. The map we have been using has a limited number of interesting places listed on it, but does have some of the major parks. We found a park nearby, Hamarikyu Garden, and decided that it might be a nice place to wander.

After paying our 300 yen entry fees, we wandered in just in time to see the beginning of a performance where a Japanese lady balanced items on an umbrella and made them run around the rim of the umbrella. No mean feat I hear you say. It went from really cool to amazing when she made a square box run around the edge of an umbrella!

After the performance, we wandered around the gardens, finding lots of amazing sights. We even stopped for a spot of traditional Japanese tea at a tea house on the lake. A lovely way to finish the day, if you excuse the fact that traditional tea really isn't very nice!

Fishy Bits

2006-07-29T21:39:00.000+10:00

Yet another first for me, I chose to go to a fish market. When we first arrived I was thinking that I don't really like this place, it stinks. All those glassy eyes, peering out of the ice at us - EEEWW.

It was interesting, and I took a pile of photos, some will be classified as 'Things I Eat' and another that will be titled 'Never in a Million Years Would I Eat That'. Naturally the first grouping was the smaller of the 2; a fish market really doesn't sell much other than fish! There was the odd pickled vegetable stall, as well as a few fresh produce stalls. We did manage to get a peach each as a snack, they only cost 500 yen (we have seen them as much as 800 yen - almost $10 each!).

Things I Eat!

After our snack, we accidentally found the real fish market, the wholesale market. Surprisingly enough I really enjoyed this section. There was no smell, the floors and benches were continuously being hosed down and it was very clean. Some of the fish there were monsters. It would have been nice to see the auctions as one fish we saw (and we only saw half of it) cost 8000 yen. It was a massive tuna that weighed about 160 kilo.

'Never in a Million Years Would I Eat That'

The people at the market thought we were crazy, wandering through taking photos of fish guts. I never though I would ever enjoy something so fishy!

Happy Birthday to Me

2006-07-28T22:48:00.000+10:00

"What!" I hear you say, it was your birthday and you chose not to spend it with your family - how rude! It wasn't my real birthday, it was just an excuse to be handcuffed and dragged through a dungeon to be locked in a tiny cell. It really wasn't as horrible as it sounds, it was a theatre restaurant where all diners were prisoners.

We were in Shibuya and met up with a friend of Ellen's and together they dragged me up and down tiny streets to find the secret restaurant! Once inside our cell, we were quite comfortable if not cosy where we ate and drank Japanese 'pub food' to our hearts content. This pub food is similar to Aussie pub food - chips and pizza, but also included chicken knuckles and edamame. Not a big beer fan, I drank Japanese vodka sours instead.

A very nice way to spend my 'birthday'!

Shopping in Tokyo

2006-07-28T22:11:00.000+10:00

Where to start...

Akihabara - The electronics district where you can buy any gadget imaginable. Unfortunately it is difficult to work out what most gadgets do when you cant read or speak Japanese! In the electronics district you could always fill your day by playing games in a 5 level electronic game building.

Loft - Picture a really nice department store crossed with Ikea, add with a splash of Brunswick Street 'fun but not exactly useful gadgets', toy stores (for kids and adults!) and a fabric shop! Shopping heaven.

Mitsokoshi - A giant upmarket department store that has everything from exclusive restaurants, toys, clothing, boutique foods and a fun zone for the kids. Everything you could ever need, and then some!

Harajuku - freaky fashions. Do you want a maid outfit, a giant bunny suit, gothic attire or just something else completely insane? I am sure you will find it in Harajuku.

Ginza - the place to shop when you have more money than sense. The most expensive real estate housing the most expensive fashion. It kind of makes sense. A great place to window shop!

Transport Madness

2006-07-28T21:41:00.000+10:00

Very few people in Tokyo seem to drive. There is a logical reason for this - public transport in Tokyo is amazing.

Over 20 million people pass through a single subway station in a single day. When you get off the train, signs tell you how far via subway it is to other train platforms (in some cases up to 1km away). Signs also show what is near each exit, so that you go to the correct exit. Essentially one Metro station in Tokyo is larger than the entire subway system in Japan!

We avoided 'peak hour', yet the trains were still full at 9pm.

The good things about Tokyo Metro and Japan Railways

Trains run every 5 or 6 minutes, so it doesn't really matter if you miss your train.
The trains are always clean.
You can get from one area to another without having to go into the 'city'.
If you didn't get the right ticket, you can change the ticket within the station with no hassles.

The not so good things about the trains

Even at 9pm, some trains are packed (standing room only) with business men.
Train fillers are used - to push even more people onto the trains. (For some unknown reason, we decided to avoid this phenomenon!)
You can't buy a daily ticket, just buy per journey or prepay cards to pay per journey.

Fortunately, the transport maps had English versions, so even tourists could work out how to travel! Somehow we managed to work out how to follow maps like this!

Shibuya

2006-07-28T21:18:00.000+10:00

Picture Times Square NY, except all of the neon signs are in a language that makes absolutely no sense to you (unless of course you read Japanese) and you are in Shibuya. The sights and lights, the humidity and for the first time, the smell - hot and festery, not exactly smelly yet, but far from being perfume!

An afternoon in Shibuya can be easily filled sitting opposite the station people watching, wandering throught amazing alleys and laneways and shopping.

Exploring Yokahama

2006-07-27T23:48:00.000+10:00

On the way back from Kamakura, we decided to stop at Yokohama. The plan was to try and find Chinatown. We left Yokohama station and instead found an amusement park. Hmmm, dilemma time. Do we try to find Chinatown or enjoy what we already have? The answer was simple really, the waterfront amusement park was right there, so why not visit.

Yokohama was a beautiful city. It reminded me of a sleeker version of Docklands in Melbourne or Darling Harbour in Sydney. A wander through the area and a quick bite to eat and it was dark - just in time for a ride on the ferris wheel.

The view from the top was amazing, the photos do it no justice.

With our wander through Yokohama finished, it was time to head all the way back to Tokyo and bed. Maybe it was our overconfidence or just that we were both exhausted after walking for almost all of the day (12 hours at that stage), but we got off at the wrong station and then had to work our way back to Suitengamae, the station closest to home. It didn't take too long to work out where we went wrong. Maybe we will be more careful in our next adventures!

Missing Home?

2006-07-27T23:33:00.000+10:00

Today was a beautiful day, exploring the area of Kamakura. We stopped for a drink in the shade of an old dirt-floor cafe to cool off before heading to another shrine.

The shrine was an amazing place. In one area there were hundreds and hundreds of small statues all in perfect rows alongside the path. It wasn't until I left that part of the shrine that Ellen told me that the purpose of the shrine was to remember children who have died or were still-born.

The area is referred to as Sentai-Jizo or One-Thousand Jizo. Jizo is believed to be a guardian deity of children, both alive and dead. Parents can dedicate the statuettes to thier lost soul and pray that the god may protect the poor little ones wandering in the netherworld, making offerings of clothing, hats and toys. The effect is rather heartbreaking, but a beautiful tribute to such a sad occasion.

I couldn't help but imagine the pain of being in such a terrible situation, and one thought lead to another and all I wanted to do was to be with my family and kissing my kids. I was sad that I wasn't with my kids, but happy that I was fortunate enough to be blessed with beautiful children. I love you AJ and Milla!

Daibutsu

2006-07-27T23:03:00.000+10:00

Up bright and early Thursday morning to head to Kamakura to visit the giant Buddha and local temples. We left at around 8, to give us plenty of time to get lost on the way to Tokyo Station. Fortunately we didn't need so much time, we made it dare I say easily and managed to find the right train to take us on the hour long joruney to Kamakura.

After an hour exploring shops and local temples in Kamakura, we met up with Misao (a friend of Ellen's whom I had met in Ascot Vale). Misao had been travelling for almost 4 hours to meet us!
It was a beautiful day, still very hot but not unbearably humid. We wanted to conserve our energy, so we jumped into a taxi.

First stop, Daibutsu - the Giant Buddha. Now when I say giant, I mean giant, the second largest in Japan. The Buddha was over 13 metres tall and had survived a Tsunami in 1495!

The remainder of the day was spent eating and exploring - two of my favourite past-times and a great way to spend a beautiful sunny day. Eventually, it was time to say farewell to Misao and begin our journey back towards Tokyo, via Yokohama.

My Home

2006-07-27T07:45:00.000+10:00

Well the place that I am calling home for the next week is amazing. Nao, a friend of Ellen's from Melbourne is actually from Tokyo and her parents have kindly offered to share their home with us. I was expecting a bed on the floor, or maybe a couch to share but no, we are very fortunate to have our very own 2 bedroom apartment within their house, to call our home for the week.

The house we are staying in is in a very new building that has its own carpark, a home office, 4 floors of apartments and a rooftop entertaining area! Nao's parents Yoshi and Ritsuko have an apartment, Dai and Chaiaki (Nao's brother and his wife) have another apartment, an uncle has a third apartment and we are staying in the 4th floor apartment as grandma is staying with Yoshi and Ritsuko.

All this and it is about 100 metres from the TCAT terminal and Suitengamae train station. All I can say is WOW!

Wonderful Hosts

2006-07-26T23:23:00.000+10:00

Yoshi and Ritsuko are amazing. Not only are they sharing their home with us, they also took us out to dinner!

We went to a Ramen cafe. Now I have seen it, but I have never eaten ramen before. It may have something to do with it being made from pork, but I have done so many things that aren't normal lately I figured "why not!"

The cafe was interesting in itself. First you ordered and paid for the meal via a vending machine, then gave the ticket to the chef to prepare. They then cooked the meal in front of you. Each serve of noodles was cooked individually, with them being drained directly on the floor!

As we waited for the ramen, we snacked on pork slices. It looked nothing like pork as I know it, and was actually tasty. It was more like silverside than pork. The dumplings in the ramen were 'real pork' and not so great, but the ramen itself was yummy.

After dinner, we went back to the house and shared photos. Ellen and I showed photos and told stories of Australia, and Yoshi and Ritsuko shared their wedding and special day photos with us, telling us the stories behind the traditional kimonos worn and the festivals attended - so many festivals and amazing kimonos.

Thanks for a fantastic evening Yoshi and Ritsuko!

So Much to Do

2006-07-26T22:56:00.000+10:00

After a quick shower to freshen up, it was off to explore the sights of Tokyo. First stop, trying to work out the public transport network. With some help from Yoshi and his new guide book, we soon found our way on board the TCAT, on our way to see the Imperial Palace.

To get to the palace, we had to cross a lovely wide and lush patch of beautiful soft grass. It was too soft to merely walk on, so we decided that it was time for a rest.

Eventually, we dragged ourselves away from relaxing in the shade of a twisted pine to go to the Palace.

After a wander around the outside of the Imperial Palace, we decided it was too hot to walk any further; after all it was 35 degrees and way past lunch time.

A short taxi ride took us to Ginza where we had lunch and continued exploring. We found a Metro train station, and then discovered that even if you can find an English version of the subway system, it is unbelievably huge and confusing.

Eventually we found the train that we were after and made our way to Asakusa for a relaxing wander through the market and shrine. It was here that I saw my first pretend Geisha.

After wandering aimlessly for an hour or so, enjoying the sights in all the local (not touristy) shops, we realised that once again, we had no idea where we were. We couldn't find where we were on our map (there were no street signs anywhere) and had to get a local who spoke some English to give us directions to a Metro station.

The station we were directed to was near a huge park in Ueno. The park was amazing, and home to hundreds of homeless people and even more cats. I say homeless people, but really they have a home, it just happens to be in a park, under a tarp! Often the homeless homes have more luxuries than you would expect in a temporary accommodation - a washing area, a kitchen (albeit communal), warm bedding and also room to store clothes and personal items. The people were friendly and clean, not at all like the homeless people in Melbourne!

It was in this park that we saw our only bit of police action - a couple of teenagers riding toy motorbikes through the park, successfully avoiding the police car that was following them! We only had a chance to explore a tiny corner of the park before it was time to head back towards home.

I Found Ellen!

2006-07-26T11:58:00.000+10:00

Somehow, defying all odds, I made it to Tokyo in one piece. I even managed to be found by Ellen without too much trouble.

After a quick shower to cool down, that't right, I need to cool down as it is over 30 degrees and sunny. It is now time to go exploring. First stop (unless we get lost) is a temple for a touch of traditional Japanese culture.

Blog later, Del

I Made It!

2006-07-26T10:05:00.000+10:00

9.00ish Wednesday morning in Japan

Well I made it and miraculously so did my luggage! I am now in Japan sitting on an 'Airport Limousine Bus' on my way to TCAT - Tokyo City Air Terminal to try and find Ellen.

The flight again was no dramas, although it was interesting going through immigration trying to explain that I don't know where I am staying! Luckily they were happy with Ellen's name and telephone number instead. I have to admit that I wrote the number from memory so chances are it is wrong! OOPS, too late to worry about that now, let’s just hope that I find Ellen!

One of the many beautiful views from the Limousine Bus window.

The Flights

2006-07-26T02:01:00.000+10:00

Well so far so good. The first flight to KL was all but empty so I had plenty of room to stretch out and relax. The food was edible and I was able to watch movies uninterrupted, both of which are pretty much a first for me on a plane!

I somehow managed to get to correct connecting flight so here I am on my way to Japan. Again the flight is very empty so I have an entire row of seats to make into my bed for the night. Next stop Japan!

The Bathroom Experience

2006-07-26T00:24:00.000+10:00

I don't think I am in Kansas anymore!

OK so the whole different language and the difference in appearance did register with me, but what made me really realise that I am in a whole new world was the 'Bathroom Experience'.

I wanted to freshen up to kill a bit of time, but mainly to stay awake, so off I went in search of a toilet and fortunately the signs for toilets seem pretty universal! The first cubicle I looked in was pretty much a hole in the floor, with 'footprints' on either side. Naturally I wasn't sure of how they work I just figured it would end in tears and wetness. If I didn't fall in I was band to squirt myself!

(OK, so this isn't the actual toilet I found, but the concept was very similar!)

Fortunately I kept looking and found a 'normal' western toilet. I say normal although it was self-flushing and did have some sort of shower hose and tap on the wall. I have no idea what it is for, it is probably safer that way!

Not Really Me

2006-07-25T23:00:00.000+10:00

Sitting alone at KL airport, around 11pm Australian time, 9pm local time.

Well this trip has been very 'not me'! Starting with wanting to go to another country, travel alone, spend an exorbitant amount of money I don't have and be away from all I know for such a long time. Yeah I know it is only a week, but it is a week with almost no contact with my family. Before this, the longest I have been away from the monsters was 2 nights! As well as all of these things, there is the whole comfort zone to contend with; I am already way out of any comfort zone!

The whole 'not me' process began months ago, when I was given the flight tickets. I had months to do my typical research, planning and obsessive compulsive behaviour, but NO, I didn't. I merely accepted that I was going to Japan and it would work itself out, by magic if nothing else!

I guess knowing that I will be meeting Ellen in Tokyo is some help, but it still doesn't explain my behaviour. For any other trip, whether local, interstate or international, I know how to get there, what transport to use (and how to find it) and have a backup plan. Hell, normally I would have a timetable and fare costs worked out as well as a daily itinerary planned!

All this and here I am, alone in Malaysia with absolutely 'no clues'! All the announcements are in Malay or heavily accented English. The ticket info I have says that my luggage has been forwarded directly and I just have to go to the gate and wait. My boarding pass says gate 35, but already it has been changed to gate 26, of course that is assuming I have interpreted the departures board in an accurate manner!

Well I don't have much to do now except kill time, although I don't know how much time - I don't have a watch! Perhaps I should go find a clock somewhere or even do some shopping with the Malay $ that I don't have!

Cheers.

The Crying Doors

2006-07-25T16:43:00.000+10:00

The day of departure was preceded by a restless sleep. I don't know if it was a case of being over tired, nervous, anxious or sensitive to the noises of the kids (and the loud snoring monster who shared my bed!) I imagine that it was a combination of them all.

When the kids went off to Tia's it was finally time to pack. It didn't feel real, even though it was only a few hours before I had to go to the airport. I was antsy and edgy, trying not to be too nervous and think that this was my first ever trip alone and I am under-prepared.

Eventually we picked up the kids and we went to the airport. I could feel the tears threaten. I had to swallow lumps in my throat and blink back tears a few times, and quite successfully too. My success slipped away as soon as I saw the 'crying doors'. I don't even know why I was crying then (or why I am trying not to cry now). After lots of hugs and kisses, as well as looks of confusion from the kids it was time to go through the crying doors. Even AJ gave me lots of hugs and a rarity - kisses too, as well as patting my cheek as you would pat a cat.

Lots of promises were made to have fun and to be good for dad and then I was off. The adventure was about to begin for real...