After a 4am wake up ready for the transfer to Keflavic airport, i sadly packed my bags and prepared to leave. when I arrived there was hardly a soul at the airport, but this morning the queue for Icelandair was snaking around the airport, so having only 1.5 hours before my flight out, I started to stress as the queue inched closer to check in. I was starving as it was too early for brekky at the hotel and no food is served on this airline, unless you buy from their overpriced menu, the flight to Stockholm was 3 hours or so. On arrival in sunny Stockholm, I purchased a very expensive return express train into town, nearly $80, so skybus is cheap as! From the Central station, i had to get a local metro 2 stops to my hotel, and it certainly was a good choice as have been all my accommodations, i recommend bookings.com which i have used for all my trips and not had a bad hotel yet! the hotel was fairly old and in a groovy street with cool cafes and shops and I discovered it was walking distance from the lovely old town, the city centre and other museums, the ferries, etc. I walked a lot even though I purchased a 3day travelcard for trains, ferries and trams! Yes they have trams! I saw some great architecture, photography museum with a Robert Mapelthorp exhibition, old and new postal advertising at the Postal museum, a massive medieval ship The Vasa, recovered intact which sank on its maiden voyage and they built a museum around it, and enjoyed exploring the old cobblestoned town. But, it was not as clean as Iceland, and i saw a few homeless men scavenging thru garbage bins.
the food, like Iceland is expensive, so I avoided restaurants and ate kebabs, empanadas and shopped at the supermarket.
I was sightseeing and walking hours on end and was so tired every night, it stayed light til nearly midnight but there was some darkness unlike in Iceland. Everyone speaks English like in Iceland so it is very easy to get by. I nearly went to Ikea as there is a free bus from the city, but decided against it as there was no room in my bag for a Sven sofa or even an Erik mixing bowl! It was 27 degrees C, and very warm with icecream sales booming! people stripped off to their underwear in the parks on the grass and anywhere there was a bench to sunbathe!
then back to the airport on the very expensive shuttle train and fed every few hours by Qatar air. the only incident worth mentioning is I nearly got quite burnt as the attendant passed over a cup of tea while the man in front dipped his seat back, and dropped it on my lap! I shot up and danced around the aisle, soaked with hot tea and the attendant was in shock. Lucky it was not boiling water, but my hand was hurting and i was not impressed being wet down my t shirt and jeans, lucky i had a shirt packed in hand luggage!
So arriving in Melbourne, our good old met let me down as i raced from skybus to spencer st station, i got the 11.30pm train and when we got to Flinders St, it just sat there for half an hour, no announcement, and when I checked the board it was departing as the next train, so i got home after midnight and dragged my weary body and luggage home!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sad to say goodbye Iceland
Last days in Iceland
Well my trip around Iceland is rapidly coming to an end and I will be sorry to leave as it is a unique land worth exploring. The weather fluctuates more than Melbourne and you need to be prepared for all conditions in one day. We spend a lot of time on the mini bus with many stops along the way each day, sometimes to use conveniences, for snacks and drinks and meals and for sightseeing, we see at least 2 impossibly named waterfalls a day and many more smaller ones which cascade down the mountains fuelled by the melting glaciers. We are now following the coast and it is beautiful. We saw the glacier where Journey to the centre of the earth is meant to begin in the famous Jules Verne novel, some small fishing villages, and walked along senic coastal paths. We stay in small out of the way farm stay guesthouses which hold you to ransom regarding dinner, there is either an all u can eat buffet for anywhere between $45 - $65 and no other choice or a set meal from about $40 for one course, and usually there is nothing else around for miles. There is lots of seafood and lamb but there have been offerings of pork, chicken, horse and whale!
The daytime temperatures vary from 3 degrees to 15 degrees, so layers is the sensible way to go. I have been swamped by waves, stepped in muddy puddles and slipped on slippery slopes, so am in desperate need of a laundrymat before I move on to Sweden. Since it is daylight constantly, I tend to go off for a walk after dinner for a little me time, and arrive back in broad daylight around 10.30pm trudging along the road or on horse trails, and there are lots of Icelandic horses in the green paddocks which are very friendly and curious and attention seekers. Many parts remind me of Scotland, Switzerland and The Galapagos and Andes in South America. it is rugged and beautiful and attracting more tourists every year.
Back in Rekyjavic and I am sad to say goodbye, but this morning I had a private snorkle in Silfra Fjord, where the tectonic plates split apart the USA and Europe continents, and if my arms were longer could touch both continents at once. I had a thermal drysuit and full diving wetsuit which was very uncomfortable to firstly get on, and then to wear, and the water temp was a cool 2 degrees C, but i think i got some good pix but had mittens on which were hard to work the camera with! The reason I did it on my own with a lovely instructor was that they made a mistake with my booking as 40 kids from the UK were booked in for the morning, but i had no other time to do it, so they kindly took me out on my own, and it was beautiful! The crystal clear waters are filtered by the surrounding lava and can take 30 to 100 years to arrive at the fjord from the glaciers and so it is unpolluted and pure, and i drank some along the way.
Iceland is beautiful and I recommend it highly before the tourists all discover that it is a great place to visit, tourism is their growth industry and I know why! It is full of Viking stories and myths, lovely scenery, cool cafes and towns, english speakers and is alive and active! i have loved my short adventure and want to come back again!
Well my trip around Iceland is rapidly coming to an end and I will be sorry to leave as it is a unique land worth exploring. The weather fluctuates more than Melbourne and you need to be prepared for all conditions in one day. We spend a lot of time on the mini bus with many stops along the way each day, sometimes to use conveniences, for snacks and drinks and meals and for sightseeing, we see at least 2 impossibly named waterfalls a day and many more smaller ones which cascade down the mountains fuelled by the melting glaciers. We are now following the coast and it is beautiful. We saw the glacier where Journey to the centre of the earth is meant to begin in the famous Jules Verne novel, some small fishing villages, and walked along senic coastal paths. We stay in small out of the way farm stay guesthouses which hold you to ransom regarding dinner, there is either an all u can eat buffet for anywhere between $45 - $65 and no other choice or a set meal from about $40 for one course, and usually there is nothing else around for miles. There is lots of seafood and lamb but there have been offerings of pork, chicken, horse and whale!
The daytime temperatures vary from 3 degrees to 15 degrees, so layers is the sensible way to go. I have been swamped by waves, stepped in muddy puddles and slipped on slippery slopes, so am in desperate need of a laundrymat before I move on to Sweden. Since it is daylight constantly, I tend to go off for a walk after dinner for a little me time, and arrive back in broad daylight around 10.30pm trudging along the road or on horse trails, and there are lots of Icelandic horses in the green paddocks which are very friendly and curious and attention seekers. Many parts remind me of Scotland, Switzerland and The Galapagos and Andes in South America. it is rugged and beautiful and attracting more tourists every year.
Back in Rekyjavic and I am sad to say goodbye, but this morning I had a private snorkle in Silfra Fjord, where the tectonic plates split apart the USA and Europe continents, and if my arms were longer could touch both continents at once. I had a thermal drysuit and full diving wetsuit which was very uncomfortable to firstly get on, and then to wear, and the water temp was a cool 2 degrees C, but i think i got some good pix but had mittens on which were hard to work the camera with! The reason I did it on my own with a lovely instructor was that they made a mistake with my booking as 40 kids from the UK were booked in for the morning, but i had no other time to do it, so they kindly took me out on my own, and it was beautiful! The crystal clear waters are filtered by the surrounding lava and can take 30 to 100 years to arrive at the fjord from the glaciers and so it is unpolluted and pure, and i drank some along the way.
Iceland is beautiful and I recommend it highly before the tourists all discover that it is a great place to visit, tourism is their growth industry and I know why! It is full of Viking stories and myths, lovely scenery, cool cafes and towns, english speakers and is alive and active! i have loved my short adventure and want to come back again!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
from London to Iceland
still in London, I ventured to Borough market to meet Adam and taste the paella made in gigantic pans, we ate while the heavens opened as we sat in relative comfort under shelter in the little spanish stall. From there we wandered about and had a coffee near St Paul's and headed to Oxford St in the rain to meet the cousins for lunch, via an apple shop where i booked in for an ipad check up as my tablet has a few hiccups wot needs sorting! Apparently the genius will sort me out! I made an appointment for the next day.
Lunch was at a rather large Italian restaurant and then the goodbyes! Adam and I wandered up to Covent Garden where he was directing me to a pastie shop, but alas it had been replaced with a patisserie! We got an ice cream at a boutique ice cream shop, chilli and ginger was an acquired taste with chunks of chilli mixed in! Then we walked towards Tower Bridge along the Thames, which took some time. The sun peeped out from behind clouds but the wind picked up. We finally got to the freshly painted Tower Bridge and said our goodbyes. I headed to the Design Museum but was too late to go in, oh well! Met friends from Inca tail and had a home-cooked meal and some red, and recalled our trip as well as talked about Iceland which they loved last year. Then home James, exhausted!
The final day in London had me visiting the apple store genius bar and met Bev for lunch and found a sushi train where we had an awesome dessert of glutinous rice parcels filled with green tea ice cream and one with rich chocolate....mmmmm. After dinner which i cooked for my host, i went to covent garden and had a final farewell London drink and back home to pack.
The next morning I left for Heathrow and allowed 1.5 hours which was perfect to check into my Icelandair flight for Rekyjevic. The flight did not supply meals, you had to buy them, but i was too excited to eat and arrived in sunny Rekyjevic (vic meaning harbour), and took the transfer bus to the Hilton, just out of town. I checked in and after a shower walked into town to explore. I stopped by at the 4th floor hotel on the way in as it was my supposed Intrepid meeting point the next day. The staff had no group booking and had not heard of Intrepid. maybe i got it wrong? Ate fish and chips for dinner near the old harbour and wound my way back up the hill to the hotel, checked my trip notes, yup, the hotel was correct for tomorrow.
So after a most yummy continental buffet breakfast and a long chat to a trez handsome French tourist who spoke perfect english, I checked out and wheeled my luggage to the 4th floor hotel. Alas, the drama unfolded! No booking, no idea, where was I to go now? I tried their internet to contact Intrepid but the message sending failed! Australia was still asleep so no one I could contact there! My phone had little credit left. I logged on to recharge my phone but there was an error! Looked up the London office, finally topped up my sim card via the phone which decided to work, and called. Oh, apparently the hotel had been changed and I should have been informed! FANTASTIC! Got my new details from the London office, thanked the helpful staff of the hotel who were Filipino, trotted off to the new guesthouse with stress levels falling rapidly. Finally got to the correct hotel, checked in and felt relieved and ready to tackle another day of exploring.
I saw a busker attract a huge crowd, juggling on a ladder, Wally from Australia, (can you believe it?) entertained the crowd and made more than a few kroner that day with his antics and witty banter - bizarre! I booked a snorkling trip in a fjord which is between the tectonic plates of North America and Europe on my last day in Iceland. Met up with the new group and took off the next day. Our leader Jens is our guide, historian, geologist, bus driver and local Icelander. We have seen massive waterfalls, walked behind one even! and lava flows, black sand, ash from the Grimsvotn recent eruption, volcanoes everywhere you look, steaming geothermal pools, fjords, geysers which are fun to watch, massive glaciers which are retreating every year due to global warming, white, blue and black lcebergs on a glacial lake which break off from the tongue and drift out to sea to be lost forever in the ocean, twisted metal which were once bridges buckled under the force of post volcanic flooding, daylight which goes on and on and midnight is still bright as midday and i took a photo to prove it!
Every day we drive amongst picturesque, perfect postcard landscapes, one side ice-capped mountains, on the other side beach or fjord, no native forests as the trees were chopped down for wood in the early days of settlement. Houses are made of timber or colourful corrugated iron with bright iron roofs of red, blue and green. We drove through a 6km tunnel and it was the first darkness i have seen here, i do miss the night time. Food is basic and expensive and even more expensive if eating at more gourmet places.
All the placenames are unprounceable, the language is very hard to foreign ears, luckily everyone speaks perfect english! We even stayed at a farm at the base of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that erupted last year and caused chaos. Iceland is born of volcanoes as not only is it above the tectonic plates between Europe and Nth America, but is a volcanic hotspot and islands are born from underwater volcanoes and the shape of the island can change with each eruption. It is a paradise for geologists. The weather even if 8c - 10c during the day is mild if there is no wind, and you can wear a jacket and feel hot if walking uphill, not like back home!
Lunch was at a rather large Italian restaurant and then the goodbyes! Adam and I wandered up to Covent Garden where he was directing me to a pastie shop, but alas it had been replaced with a patisserie! We got an ice cream at a boutique ice cream shop, chilli and ginger was an acquired taste with chunks of chilli mixed in! Then we walked towards Tower Bridge along the Thames, which took some time. The sun peeped out from behind clouds but the wind picked up. We finally got to the freshly painted Tower Bridge and said our goodbyes. I headed to the Design Museum but was too late to go in, oh well! Met friends from Inca tail and had a home-cooked meal and some red, and recalled our trip as well as talked about Iceland which they loved last year. Then home James, exhausted!
The final day in London had me visiting the apple store genius bar and met Bev for lunch and found a sushi train where we had an awesome dessert of glutinous rice parcels filled with green tea ice cream and one with rich chocolate....mmmmm. After dinner which i cooked for my host, i went to covent garden and had a final farewell London drink and back home to pack.
The next morning I left for Heathrow and allowed 1.5 hours which was perfect to check into my Icelandair flight for Rekyjevic. The flight did not supply meals, you had to buy them, but i was too excited to eat and arrived in sunny Rekyjevic (vic meaning harbour), and took the transfer bus to the Hilton, just out of town. I checked in and after a shower walked into town to explore. I stopped by at the 4th floor hotel on the way in as it was my supposed Intrepid meeting point the next day. The staff had no group booking and had not heard of Intrepid. maybe i got it wrong? Ate fish and chips for dinner near the old harbour and wound my way back up the hill to the hotel, checked my trip notes, yup, the hotel was correct for tomorrow.
So after a most yummy continental buffet breakfast and a long chat to a trez handsome French tourist who spoke perfect english, I checked out and wheeled my luggage to the 4th floor hotel. Alas, the drama unfolded! No booking, no idea, where was I to go now? I tried their internet to contact Intrepid but the message sending failed! Australia was still asleep so no one I could contact there! My phone had little credit left. I logged on to recharge my phone but there was an error! Looked up the London office, finally topped up my sim card via the phone which decided to work, and called. Oh, apparently the hotel had been changed and I should have been informed! FANTASTIC! Got my new details from the London office, thanked the helpful staff of the hotel who were Filipino, trotted off to the new guesthouse with stress levels falling rapidly. Finally got to the correct hotel, checked in and felt relieved and ready to tackle another day of exploring.
I saw a busker attract a huge crowd, juggling on a ladder, Wally from Australia, (can you believe it?) entertained the crowd and made more than a few kroner that day with his antics and witty banter - bizarre! I booked a snorkling trip in a fjord which is between the tectonic plates of North America and Europe on my last day in Iceland. Met up with the new group and took off the next day. Our leader Jens is our guide, historian, geologist, bus driver and local Icelander. We have seen massive waterfalls, walked behind one even! and lava flows, black sand, ash from the Grimsvotn recent eruption, volcanoes everywhere you look, steaming geothermal pools, fjords, geysers which are fun to watch, massive glaciers which are retreating every year due to global warming, white, blue and black lcebergs on a glacial lake which break off from the tongue and drift out to sea to be lost forever in the ocean, twisted metal which were once bridges buckled under the force of post volcanic flooding, daylight which goes on and on and midnight is still bright as midday and i took a photo to prove it!
Every day we drive amongst picturesque, perfect postcard landscapes, one side ice-capped mountains, on the other side beach or fjord, no native forests as the trees were chopped down for wood in the early days of settlement. Houses are made of timber or colourful corrugated iron with bright iron roofs of red, blue and green. We drove through a 6km tunnel and it was the first darkness i have seen here, i do miss the night time. Food is basic and expensive and even more expensive if eating at more gourmet places.
All the placenames are unprounceable, the language is very hard to foreign ears, luckily everyone speaks perfect english! We even stayed at a farm at the base of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that erupted last year and caused chaos. Iceland is born of volcanoes as not only is it above the tectonic plates between Europe and Nth America, but is a volcanic hotspot and islands are born from underwater volcanoes and the shape of the island can change with each eruption. It is a paradise for geologists. The weather even if 8c - 10c during the day is mild if there is no wind, and you can wear a jacket and feel hot if walking uphill, not like back home!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
London calling
I got home from a late shift at work via the Melbourne Wine Room. Then the packing began In earnest as I dillied and dallied as to what I should take seeing it was summer in old Blighty after all! I finished up at around 2am and tried to sleep.
Well the day finally arrived and lucky I looked at the long range weather forecast for London and promptly undid my bag and pulled out the summer clothes and added more temperate climate clothes; rain, showers, heavy rain, cloudy and a max of 19 degrees all week! So I will see London in all its grey glory, all week!
After a cycle along the beach where there was a long grey band of ash along the entire horizon, i checked my flight was still going to take off as scheduled. so far so good! Breakky at lil ox filled my insides with a warm burst of vanilla porridge with mapel syrup and a decaf coffee. The day was filled with this and that and before i knew it Hop was at the door ready to ferry me into town to catch skybus to Melbourne Airport. On arrival at the airport there was no long queues so my check in was super quick and so was customs clearance. I bought my Christmas brandy at duty free to pick up on my arrival home, so i better remember!
So after a long but dozey 14 hour flight to Doha in Qatar, i continued my journey after a 2 hour stopover and a long busride to the departure terminal, a big airport under construction. We continued our flight in a smaller plane with an Indian man sprawled out next to me snoozing using both arm rests so i could not retrieve my remote for the entertainment hub and had to sit on an angle as he took up half my leg room as well, bloody hell! Arrived in London a little late and got held up at immigration as there were only a couple of people checking passports while some abruptly shut shop for a break as the queue of passengers snaked around and around. A few people were detained like border patrol. Finally outa there and took the Heathrow xpress to Paddington as i thought it would be quicker than the tube, but in hindsight my £18 could have been put to better use. Got to Tooting Broadway on the Northern Line and settled into my new abode for the week, snoozed for an hour, showered and headed into Covent Garden, tired and Jetlagged to meet up with some friends i met in Japan last year. We ate at Wagamama which is still big here and after a couple of hours, felt like crap so wound my way home on the tube in a daze. Next day went to Clapham junction to meet some Galapagos friends for lunch. The station was invaded by girls dressed to the nines in their racing regalia and hats with feathers, and boys with champagne in both hands in top hats and tails, off to Ascot for some action, i guess on and off the track! I felt under dressed in my jeans and tshirt, but got over it and we had a 5 hour lunch with wine and then some more wine at a pub in waterloo station whilst the heavens opened and dumped buckets of rain onto the unfortunate commuters who actually ventured outside, then back home, and out again to wagamaga for dinner and home. Up and down, back and forth on the tube!
The following day was spent in Essex with my extended family meeting up for an all day lunch and i washed it all down with a glass or more of Bulmers pear cider, my new fave drink!
On my return to London i looked up what was on at the Tate Modern and there was a massive Miro exhibition, so out i headed again and indulged my senses and my little heart leapt for joy surrounded by many diverse and some massive Miro works, awesome! Then onto South kensington for dinner with Bev and Tony, old friends from Melb, and we had Thai which was so hot, i had to drink a lot of wine to compensate!!!! The next day I decided to take a ride on the London Eye like a real tourist and headed to Waterloo to queue up with the rest of the sheep who were herded towards the giant white wheel in 2 corralles. It took 30 mins to reach the entrance and i boarded the big white capsule. We went up and around very slowly taking in the sights of London and the bird's eye view was quite fascinating. The weather had cleared and blue sky and puffy cloud replaced the grey blanket which has covered the sky since I arrived. I met my friend Adam from my Galapagos trip and he decided to surprise me by trying to find me as i exited the eye instead of waiting for me on the steps of St Pauls. I heard my name called and it was surreal as i did not expect it. We headed off towards chinatown where he introduced me to Waxy O'Connor, a whimisical pub right out of a Harry Potter movie with several bars on several levels interconnected by a maze of stairs and passages, a tree in the centre and some random antique pieces like a confessional and old church seats etc. After a few drinks we took off to Borough where i discovered there is a big gourmet food market, but it was closed when we got there. I am going to check it out tomorrow. We then went on and after a couple more pubs ended up in an Indian restaurant walking thru hospital grounds somewhere in the back streets near London Bridge and a group of us had very nice meal, quite spicy and more authentic than the indian food back home. great to discover new places around town!
Well the day finally arrived and lucky I looked at the long range weather forecast for London and promptly undid my bag and pulled out the summer clothes and added more temperate climate clothes; rain, showers, heavy rain, cloudy and a max of 19 degrees all week! So I will see London in all its grey glory, all week!
After a cycle along the beach where there was a long grey band of ash along the entire horizon, i checked my flight was still going to take off as scheduled. so far so good! Breakky at lil ox filled my insides with a warm burst of vanilla porridge with mapel syrup and a decaf coffee. The day was filled with this and that and before i knew it Hop was at the door ready to ferry me into town to catch skybus to Melbourne Airport. On arrival at the airport there was no long queues so my check in was super quick and so was customs clearance. I bought my Christmas brandy at duty free to pick up on my arrival home, so i better remember!
So after a long but dozey 14 hour flight to Doha in Qatar, i continued my journey after a 2 hour stopover and a long busride to the departure terminal, a big airport under construction. We continued our flight in a smaller plane with an Indian man sprawled out next to me snoozing using both arm rests so i could not retrieve my remote for the entertainment hub and had to sit on an angle as he took up half my leg room as well, bloody hell! Arrived in London a little late and got held up at immigration as there were only a couple of people checking passports while some abruptly shut shop for a break as the queue of passengers snaked around and around. A few people were detained like border patrol. Finally outa there and took the Heathrow xpress to Paddington as i thought it would be quicker than the tube, but in hindsight my £18 could have been put to better use. Got to Tooting Broadway on the Northern Line and settled into my new abode for the week, snoozed for an hour, showered and headed into Covent Garden, tired and Jetlagged to meet up with some friends i met in Japan last year. We ate at Wagamama which is still big here and after a couple of hours, felt like crap so wound my way home on the tube in a daze. Next day went to Clapham junction to meet some Galapagos friends for lunch. The station was invaded by girls dressed to the nines in their racing regalia and hats with feathers, and boys with champagne in both hands in top hats and tails, off to Ascot for some action, i guess on and off the track! I felt under dressed in my jeans and tshirt, but got over it and we had a 5 hour lunch with wine and then some more wine at a pub in waterloo station whilst the heavens opened and dumped buckets of rain onto the unfortunate commuters who actually ventured outside, then back home, and out again to wagamaga for dinner and home. Up and down, back and forth on the tube!
The following day was spent in Essex with my extended family meeting up for an all day lunch and i washed it all down with a glass or more of Bulmers pear cider, my new fave drink!
On my return to London i looked up what was on at the Tate Modern and there was a massive Miro exhibition, so out i headed again and indulged my senses and my little heart leapt for joy surrounded by many diverse and some massive Miro works, awesome! Then onto South kensington for dinner with Bev and Tony, old friends from Melb, and we had Thai which was so hot, i had to drink a lot of wine to compensate!!!! The next day I decided to take a ride on the London Eye like a real tourist and headed to Waterloo to queue up with the rest of the sheep who were herded towards the giant white wheel in 2 corralles. It took 30 mins to reach the entrance and i boarded the big white capsule. We went up and around very slowly taking in the sights of London and the bird's eye view was quite fascinating. The weather had cleared and blue sky and puffy cloud replaced the grey blanket which has covered the sky since I arrived. I met my friend Adam from my Galapagos trip and he decided to surprise me by trying to find me as i exited the eye instead of waiting for me on the steps of St Pauls. I heard my name called and it was surreal as i did not expect it. We headed off towards chinatown where he introduced me to Waxy O'Connor, a whimisical pub right out of a Harry Potter movie with several bars on several levels interconnected by a maze of stairs and passages, a tree in the centre and some random antique pieces like a confessional and old church seats etc. After a few drinks we took off to Borough where i discovered there is a big gourmet food market, but it was closed when we got there. I am going to check it out tomorrow. We then went on and after a couple more pubs ended up in an Indian restaurant walking thru hospital grounds somewhere in the back streets near London Bridge and a group of us had very nice meal, quite spicy and more authentic than the indian food back home. great to discover new places around town!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Peggy vs the volcano!
So, here i am, 3 weeks away from heading to the northern lights when a volcano decides to throw a spanner in the works, but i am sure by the time i leave the UK it will all settle down again (finger's crossed). I leave on the 16th June for London and on the 24th to Reykjavik.So dear followers, i will be armed with my ipad, cameras and sense of adventure as I head towards the land of the midnight sun. (must remember the eyeshades to sleep thru daylight!)Looking forward to glaciers, volcanoes, thermal springs, puffins and music as there is a lot of talent up there, another adventure awaits and i hope it does not disappoint.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
the final countdown
Here I sit at Narita airporrt, cappacinno in hand, awaiting my flight home. I am sad to leave to say the least but I tried to sleep in this morning knowing I will not get any sleep winging my way to sunny Perth. I spent the day in Harajuku in the back streets where i found an interesting art space with a labrinth of rooms and stairways filled with local illustrators works with free samples printed on postcards, they were varied in style but the manga style dominates. the place was buzzing as people explored the rooms filled with amazing artwork and placed stars on them if they liked them and filled out comment books. Great way to showcase your folio.
I finally found a yakatori place and sat amongst clouds of smoke eating my yakatori and rice as I was sat in the smoking section as there was no other room at the inn, so very unpleasant surroundings for my final meal in Tokyu! Near the hotel I went to General Nogis house and witnessed a traditional wedding. No one invited me! Such costumes, lush and traditional.
I headed back to the hotel to pick up my heaving bags and reluctantly headed to Shibuya for my final train journey. Saturday crowds made my journey a little difficult on the subway but I got to the Narita Express without difficulty and waited to board the train to the airport and that is that.
My final observations of Japan are: the people are very friendly and helpful; the vending machines are awesome as previously stated; the hotels are extremely clean and well run; the transport system is spot on for punctuality and also for the stopping at stations and the alignment of the doors with the gaps on the platform which makes for easy boarding; the english signage and announcements make it easy for us dumb foreigners; food is awesome; green tea heaven; bicycles rule; neon never looked so good; awesome views and beautiful scenery; great clean toilets with baby holders, optional flushing noise to disguise any untoward noise one may make sitting on the loo; just the fact that such a crowded city is so organised and easy to get around is amazing in itself; a great mix of history, modern life, traditional life, gadgets, fashion and shops, art and design, and more...
I finally found a yakatori place and sat amongst clouds of smoke eating my yakatori and rice as I was sat in the smoking section as there was no other room at the inn, so very unpleasant surroundings for my final meal in Tokyu! Near the hotel I went to General Nogis house and witnessed a traditional wedding. No one invited me! Such costumes, lush and traditional.
I headed back to the hotel to pick up my heaving bags and reluctantly headed to Shibuya for my final train journey. Saturday crowds made my journey a little difficult on the subway but I got to the Narita Express without difficulty and waited to board the train to the airport and that is that.
My final observations of Japan are: the people are very friendly and helpful; the vending machines are awesome as previously stated; the hotels are extremely clean and well run; the transport system is spot on for punctuality and also for the stopping at stations and the alignment of the doors with the gaps on the platform which makes for easy boarding; the english signage and announcements make it easy for us dumb foreigners; food is awesome; green tea heaven; bicycles rule; neon never looked so good; awesome views and beautiful scenery; great clean toilets with baby holders, optional flushing noise to disguise any untoward noise one may make sitting on the loo; just the fact that such a crowded city is so organised and easy to get around is amazing in itself; a great mix of history, modern life, traditional life, gadgets, fashion and shops, art and design, and more...
Friday, October 15, 2010
Fishy business in Tokyo!
Hi from Tokyo, my final night in this buzzing, neon metropolis. Yesterday after I ate my complimentary brekky of rice and fish and miso, I headed out to the famous Tsukiji Wholesale fish market where all the action starts around 4am the time the tuna gets auctioned. It is meant to be a real spectacle but as it is a serious business, only the first 140 tourists are allowed to witness the hard core bidding and if you are number 141 you are turned away. Funnily enough, I did not make the 4am start but did arrive at 10am, my sort of early... but some of the stalls were already shutting down for the day. Man it was the most awesome array of every sea creature imaginable, things I have never seen before, fish YES but sluggy things and what looked like giant mussles or shellfish, and every conceivable size of ocean creature from smaller than your thumbnail to as big as ME!
I wandered thru the stalls snapping away and nearly got run over by forklift trucks going in every direction in continuous streams, it was manic! The market was the size of both sheds at the Vic Market, maybe bigger, and filled with sea creatures. Now, I reckon the amount left over every day would be 10 times what the Vic market sells on a good day, so is this witness to the fact that we are overfishing our oceans, a moral dilemma to be sure. I had mixed emotions about this in the end.
I ate some sushi there, fresh from the ocean, in one of many tiny stalls on the outskirts where there is a general market, but quite small in comparison. It was expensive compared to the sushi I have eaten but I had to try it fresher than I will ever have it again my lifetime.
Then back on the tube to Akihabara, Electric Town, which sells all sorts of electrical gadgets and is the site of a manga info centre... which only consisted of a shop and some info and brochures on all the anime and manga museums in town... it was such a contrast to the fish markets!
Then onto Nihombashi to see a small kite museum which was above a restaurant and packed to the rafters with old hand painted paper kites preserved behind glass to newer and more fanciful ones hanging from every available spot, with some antique bits and pieces, and a wee shop. I got myself a box kite and hope it makes it home without breaking the bamboo frame. I love kites and if I had time could have booked in to a kite making class.
My by now weary legs then took me to Ginza to find a famous bronze lion near a big department store (of which there are many) which up til today had eluded me. I finally found it and was pleased, as today I met my friend Tomoko there. Ginza is the 5th Avenue of Tokyo with all the big names and an awesome Sony building which showcases new products... I wish I had a lot of money coz I could have easily spent a lot. I have somehow managed to go Italic on this keyboard, hey change is good!
I had a nanna nap at the hotel then headed out for dinner at a nearby station, and had tempura and rice and miso for under $10, something rare in this country... then back to base. I had a long soak in the bath and my sore legs thanked me and I hit the sack.
Today I hit Roppongi, the night spot area but during the day. There are many art museums there but do you think any were open at 10am? I am slow to learn no one opens b4 11am here and stays open til 9pm, so getting up early to get a start is not such a good idea. I walked more and saw a design exhibition and headed back to Ginza to meet Tomoko by that ol' bronze lion!
Spent a nice day eating seeing the Imperial Palace which is the Emperor's residence, losing my lens cap to the big camera and retracing my footsteps to Lunch where we banged on the door so the chef would let us in and found it, and then out of Tokyo to the burbs for some green tea cake and a tofu dinner in a restaurant which just makes Tofu stuff, interesting textures and flavours. My green tea adventures are coming to an end, only tomorrow til 3pm and then I head to Narita airport and head homewards... I am sad to leave this crazy place but come if you can, it is really worth the experience!
I wandered thru the stalls snapping away and nearly got run over by forklift trucks going in every direction in continuous streams, it was manic! The market was the size of both sheds at the Vic Market, maybe bigger, and filled with sea creatures. Now, I reckon the amount left over every day would be 10 times what the Vic market sells on a good day, so is this witness to the fact that we are overfishing our oceans, a moral dilemma to be sure. I had mixed emotions about this in the end.
I ate some sushi there, fresh from the ocean, in one of many tiny stalls on the outskirts where there is a general market, but quite small in comparison. It was expensive compared to the sushi I have eaten but I had to try it fresher than I will ever have it again my lifetime.
Then back on the tube to Akihabara, Electric Town, which sells all sorts of electrical gadgets and is the site of a manga info centre... which only consisted of a shop and some info and brochures on all the anime and manga museums in town... it was such a contrast to the fish markets!
Then onto Nihombashi to see a small kite museum which was above a restaurant and packed to the rafters with old hand painted paper kites preserved behind glass to newer and more fanciful ones hanging from every available spot, with some antique bits and pieces, and a wee shop. I got myself a box kite and hope it makes it home without breaking the bamboo frame. I love kites and if I had time could have booked in to a kite making class.
My by now weary legs then took me to Ginza to find a famous bronze lion near a big department store (of which there are many) which up til today had eluded me. I finally found it and was pleased, as today I met my friend Tomoko there. Ginza is the 5th Avenue of Tokyo with all the big names and an awesome Sony building which showcases new products... I wish I had a lot of money coz I could have easily spent a lot. I have somehow managed to go Italic on this keyboard, hey change is good!
I had a nanna nap at the hotel then headed out for dinner at a nearby station, and had tempura and rice and miso for under $10, something rare in this country... then back to base. I had a long soak in the bath and my sore legs thanked me and I hit the sack.
Today I hit Roppongi, the night spot area but during the day. There are many art museums there but do you think any were open at 10am? I am slow to learn no one opens b4 11am here and stays open til 9pm, so getting up early to get a start is not such a good idea. I walked more and saw a design exhibition and headed back to Ginza to meet Tomoko by that ol' bronze lion!
Spent a nice day eating seeing the Imperial Palace which is the Emperor's residence, losing my lens cap to the big camera and retracing my footsteps to Lunch where we banged on the door so the chef would let us in and found it, and then out of Tokyo to the burbs for some green tea cake and a tofu dinner in a restaurant which just makes Tofu stuff, interesting textures and flavours. My green tea adventures are coming to an end, only tomorrow til 3pm and then I head to Narita airport and head homewards... I am sad to leave this crazy place but come if you can, it is really worth the experience!
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