Sorry it's been so quiet on the blog front. I'm waiting for our pictures to be uploaded so I can write some more detailed blogs... and they'll be coming soon I promise!
Things have been dandy here in Kushiro. We've been on lots of roadtrips and daytrips and got up to all sorts of antics around town. Details will come very soon.
We have big plans for the coming months... Off to Korea for a few days in 2 weeks time, then 3 weeks off over Christmas/New Year when we'll be in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Kinosaki and Tokyo! It's very exciting and we're busy planning for everything.
More news coming shortly - with photos!
xx
Friday, 6 November 2009
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Sunday Driving
On Sunday we decided to go for a country drive. We hopped in the toyota and picked up Lucy and Dana, and drove north towards Akan. Our first stop was a soba festival in Teshikaga, with loads of stalls selling lots of yummy (and/or quite bizzare) treats, with about half dedicated just to soba noodles. This was one of my favourites - panda-shaped cakey things filled with sweet red beans.
A local dairy was selling icecream and other things, and Joe had a go at milking the 'cow.'
We then drove on to Lake Mashu, an absolutely beautiful place which we admired from a lookout off the side of the road. We didn't stay up there for very long, as we weren't prepared for how cold and windy it was! It really is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Next stop was an active sulfur volcano with lots of little natural hot springs. The smell hit us before we saw it, like a thousand rotten eggs, but it was well worth putting up with. There was a little old lady selling eggs that she'd boiled in the springs, I suppose she thought you may as well be eating eggs if you have to smell them anyway...
After our fair share of apparently very healthy sulfur fumes, our next stop was a delightful little treat - a foot onsen (natural spa from hot springs). It was far enough away from the source that there were no delicious eggy smells, but the water was still very, very hot! It took us a while to be brave enough to leave our feet in for longer than about 3 seconds, but when we got used to it it was really quite lovely. I felt so refreshed and tingly for the rest of the afternoon!
Obviously, I am the braver one...
The surrounding woods were also very pretty...
All in all, an amazing Sunday drive! Hokkaido is a beautiful place.
Love love. xx
A local dairy was selling icecream and other things, and Joe had a go at milking the 'cow.'
We then drove on to Lake Mashu, an absolutely beautiful place which we admired from a lookout off the side of the road. We didn't stay up there for very long, as we weren't prepared for how cold and windy it was! It really is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Next stop was an active sulfur volcano with lots of little natural hot springs. The smell hit us before we saw it, like a thousand rotten eggs, but it was well worth putting up with. There was a little old lady selling eggs that she'd boiled in the springs, I suppose she thought you may as well be eating eggs if you have to smell them anyway...
After our fair share of apparently very healthy sulfur fumes, our next stop was a delightful little treat - a foot onsen (natural spa from hot springs). It was far enough away from the source that there were no delicious eggy smells, but the water was still very, very hot! It took us a while to be brave enough to leave our feet in for longer than about 3 seconds, but when we got used to it it was really quite lovely. I felt so refreshed and tingly for the rest of the afternoon!
Obviously, I am the braver one...
The surrounding woods were also very pretty...
All in all, an amazing Sunday drive! Hokkaido is a beautiful place.
Love love. xx
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Over Stimulation
Japan is amazing. Everything is so different... everything! And I love it!
I flew out of Sydney last Friday night and landed in Tokyo early on Saturday morning. After about a 3 hour wait I boarded my connecting flight to Sapporo, with nearly twice the baggage allowance limit... and my bag didn't even get weighed! Woop!
The domestic flight was lovely, with not many passengers at all. One of the flight attendants came and sat with me to talk about Hokkaido and suggested some places to go and see. We flew over the sea between Honshu and Hokkaido and the scenery was magical.
After landing in Sapporo I had a 4 hour train trip to Kushiro. I risked not getting a seat by buying the cheapest ticket but luckily I had 2 seats to myself! I got about an hour's sleep which was very welcome, seeing as I hardly slept at all on the plane.
I was so excited when we arrived at Kushiro station that I almost couldn't get off the train. It was so wonderful to see Joe's smiling face and I stopped so abrubtly coming out of the barriers that I almost flattened the tiny Japanese lady behind me. The sun was just starting to set as we drove across Kushiro to the apartment. The city was busying itself for the start of the evening, with people milling outside bars and restaurants and the pretty street lanterns beggining to glow.
We arrived at the apartment and lugged my bags up to the top floor. It is a big place by Japanese standards, with 3 bedrooms (one converted into an office),a living area with attached (tiny) kitchen, and a laundry/bathroom area behind that. Joe had bought and acquired most necessary furniture already, and we'll slowly collect enough to make it perfect.
After settling in we headed out again for dinner. The apartment is about a 20 minute walk from the bar and restaurant area, and there are literally hundereds and hundereds of places to eat and drink. Joe decided on a place he'd been once before, a traditional Japanese restaurant serving some really unusual dishes. We were greeted at the door, removed our shoes and were shown to a private sunken table with curtains around it like our own little private harem. Somehow we managed to order some food... struggling with gestures and Joe's little bit of Japanese. I was delighted to find one of my favourite things, lotus root, on the menu (there was a picture next to it!) and Joe ordered some mystery sashimi. We also had some delicious sesame noodles, tempura vegetables and rice balls. Joe asked what sort of meat the sahimi was made from, only to discover it was raw horse! It didn't seem to upset him too much. After a few chu-hais (this is probably not the correct spelling but as far as I know it is a Korean drink made from a clear liquer and citrus fruits) we paid, collected our shoes, and left - with the lady who welcomed us following us out the door and halfway down the street, thanking us and bowing over and over again. On we went to a sort or late-night bar/cafe (I forget what they're called) to meet some of Joe's friends, other teachers and the only other westerners in town. By this stage I was on sensory-overload and ready for either a good sleep or a long stint of staring at a white wall.
I flew out of Sydney last Friday night and landed in Tokyo early on Saturday morning. After about a 3 hour wait I boarded my connecting flight to Sapporo, with nearly twice the baggage allowance limit... and my bag didn't even get weighed! Woop!
The domestic flight was lovely, with not many passengers at all. One of the flight attendants came and sat with me to talk about Hokkaido and suggested some places to go and see. We flew over the sea between Honshu and Hokkaido and the scenery was magical.
After landing in Sapporo I had a 4 hour train trip to Kushiro. I risked not getting a seat by buying the cheapest ticket but luckily I had 2 seats to myself! I got about an hour's sleep which was very welcome, seeing as I hardly slept at all on the plane.
I was so excited when we arrived at Kushiro station that I almost couldn't get off the train. It was so wonderful to see Joe's smiling face and I stopped so abrubtly coming out of the barriers that I almost flattened the tiny Japanese lady behind me. The sun was just starting to set as we drove across Kushiro to the apartment. The city was busying itself for the start of the evening, with people milling outside bars and restaurants and the pretty street lanterns beggining to glow.
We arrived at the apartment and lugged my bags up to the top floor. It is a big place by Japanese standards, with 3 bedrooms (one converted into an office),a living area with attached (tiny) kitchen, and a laundry/bathroom area behind that. Joe had bought and acquired most necessary furniture already, and we'll slowly collect enough to make it perfect.
After settling in we headed out again for dinner. The apartment is about a 20 minute walk from the bar and restaurant area, and there are literally hundereds and hundereds of places to eat and drink. Joe decided on a place he'd been once before, a traditional Japanese restaurant serving some really unusual dishes. We were greeted at the door, removed our shoes and were shown to a private sunken table with curtains around it like our own little private harem. Somehow we managed to order some food... struggling with gestures and Joe's little bit of Japanese. I was delighted to find one of my favourite things, lotus root, on the menu (there was a picture next to it!) and Joe ordered some mystery sashimi. We also had some delicious sesame noodles, tempura vegetables and rice balls. Joe asked what sort of meat the sahimi was made from, only to discover it was raw horse! It didn't seem to upset him too much. After a few chu-hais (this is probably not the correct spelling but as far as I know it is a Korean drink made from a clear liquer and citrus fruits) we paid, collected our shoes, and left - with the lady who welcomed us following us out the door and halfway down the street, thanking us and bowing over and over again. On we went to a sort or late-night bar/cafe (I forget what they're called) to meet some of Joe's friends, other teachers and the only other westerners in town. By this stage I was on sensory-overload and ready for either a good sleep or a long stint of staring at a white wall.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
I promised I'd write...
Well. It's been a while. Almost 2 years in fact. I've decided to start writing again throughout my next big journey - moving to Japan. I'm staying with Mum and Dad at the moment, waiting for Joe to get settled in the appartment and town where we'll be living - in Kushiro, on the east coast of Hokkaido - Japan's northern island. It's been a strange week... I haven't spoken to Joe since he left England as he's not had a phone or access to the internet for more than 2 minutes so I'm just hoping everything is ok and Joe finds a way to convince his landlord/boss that me coming to live with him is acceptable!
I'm aiming to leave in about 2 or 3 weeks. Until then, I'll be catching up with friends, spending time with family- especially my grandma in hospital, taking the dogs for walks and reading books about Japan.
I'm aiming to leave in about 2 or 3 weeks. Until then, I'll be catching up with friends, spending time with family- especially my grandma in hospital, taking the dogs for walks and reading books about Japan.
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
a very sad sparrow...
Some sad news, and part of the reason why I haven't updated this for a while...
Alot of my stuff was stolen on Friday night, including my laptop and ipod. I am very sad and angry about it. Thankfully I have insurance and hopefully they decide to replace the things that were stolen.
So if anyone sees a beautiful little white macbook around, with Australian settings and even an Australian plug... punch the person who is carrying it and then please send it back to me!
:(
Alot of my stuff was stolen on Friday night, including my laptop and ipod. I am very sad and angry about it. Thankfully I have insurance and hopefully they decide to replace the things that were stolen.
So if anyone sees a beautiful little white macbook around, with Australian settings and even an Australian plug... punch the person who is carrying it and then please send it back to me!
:(
Saturday, 29 September 2007
ahem...
Right... yep. It's been a while. I left France and went home to Australia for 5 weeks via England, then I came back to France this week via England again.
So, now I am in Dijon, the town of many mustards. I am staying in an adorable hotel for two nights, checking out the city, then getting picked up on Sunday and taken into the unknown to move into my new home and start my new job in Tournus, 45 minutes south of Dijon, next to the river and in the heart of Burgundy's wine country. I passed it on the train and it looks amazing... I hope it stays that way for the 8 months that I will be there!
So, a brief rundown on what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks...
I left Paris and went to stay in Roquefort-Les-Pins in the hills behind Antibes for 2 weeks to write and eat leeks. I must say that by the second day I was enjoying the writing much more than the eating of leeks. I went for lots of walks, read books, wrote a bit, thought lots of thoughts and pondered lots of ponderings.
Then I went to England to stay with Lotte & Stu and eat Walkers crisps and Marks & Spencers ploughman's sandwiches. I also caught up with Melinda who I hadn't seen for over 5 years (the last time we saw each other we were 18 and went on an adventure to Pooh Bridge).
Then I flew to Sydney to get a new visa (don't even get me started). It was so nice to see everyone again though, cups of tea with my mama, rum and cokes with my papa, affogatos with my little sister, walks with the dogs and many trips to the Lass O'Gowrie for scotch and dry with my wonderful mates. Then, being torn between wanting to stay safe with the things I know, and they wonderful adventure that I knew lay ahead of me, I got on a plane in Sydney and flew back to London. After over 32 hours of traveling and hardly any sleep, I arrived to the friendly sights of Tunbridge Wells once again. Another reunion - a trip to Langton Green to visit Mary who I hadn't seen for as long as I hadn't seen Melinda, her daughter.
It was a short but lovely stay, and the next day it was on to France. An easyJet flight took me down to Nice, followed by a bus trip to Roquefort-Les-Pins once more. I had two days of well-needed rest, packed up my belongings, and hauled them into a taxi to Antibes station. It was here that the great bag-hauling adventure began. From Antibes I caught the 5 hour train to Dijon, left my two enormous bags at the train station and set off to find my hotel. The next day I met the other people in the language assistants program and we all hung out in Dijon together until Monday when were were distributed to our various schools.
My school is quite nice. The staff are all really lovely except for one absolutely horrid woman who works in the office, but hopefully I won't have to see her too often. My students all seem fine, not too naughty! And my little flat is quite nice too. It is right beside the school - in fact tacked onto the side of it, but I've decorated it and it is fine to stay in during the week. I think I'll be visiting some other towns in the area on most weekends - right now I am in Chalon-sur-Saone with my English friend Emily. We have been cycling lots (I bought a bike!) and we went to watch the rugby yesterday - I thought Australia would enjoy a glorious victory and that I would bask in it all afternoon... but alas.
So I am off on the train in an hour, back to Tournus.
I like the second chapter of my little French life.
So, now I am in Dijon, the town of many mustards. I am staying in an adorable hotel for two nights, checking out the city, then getting picked up on Sunday and taken into the unknown to move into my new home and start my new job in Tournus, 45 minutes south of Dijon, next to the river and in the heart of Burgundy's wine country. I passed it on the train and it looks amazing... I hope it stays that way for the 8 months that I will be there!
So, a brief rundown on what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks...
I left Paris and went to stay in Roquefort-Les-Pins in the hills behind Antibes for 2 weeks to write and eat leeks. I must say that by the second day I was enjoying the writing much more than the eating of leeks. I went for lots of walks, read books, wrote a bit, thought lots of thoughts and pondered lots of ponderings.
Then I went to England to stay with Lotte & Stu and eat Walkers crisps and Marks & Spencers ploughman's sandwiches. I also caught up with Melinda who I hadn't seen for over 5 years (the last time we saw each other we were 18 and went on an adventure to Pooh Bridge).
Then I flew to Sydney to get a new visa (don't even get me started). It was so nice to see everyone again though, cups of tea with my mama, rum and cokes with my papa, affogatos with my little sister, walks with the dogs and many trips to the Lass O'Gowrie for scotch and dry with my wonderful mates. Then, being torn between wanting to stay safe with the things I know, and they wonderful adventure that I knew lay ahead of me, I got on a plane in Sydney and flew back to London. After over 32 hours of traveling and hardly any sleep, I arrived to the friendly sights of Tunbridge Wells once again. Another reunion - a trip to Langton Green to visit Mary who I hadn't seen for as long as I hadn't seen Melinda, her daughter.
It was a short but lovely stay, and the next day it was on to France. An easyJet flight took me down to Nice, followed by a bus trip to Roquefort-Les-Pins once more. I had two days of well-needed rest, packed up my belongings, and hauled them into a taxi to Antibes station. It was here that the great bag-hauling adventure began. From Antibes I caught the 5 hour train to Dijon, left my two enormous bags at the train station and set off to find my hotel. The next day I met the other people in the language assistants program and we all hung out in Dijon together until Monday when were were distributed to our various schools.
My school is quite nice. The staff are all really lovely except for one absolutely horrid woman who works in the office, but hopefully I won't have to see her too often. My students all seem fine, not too naughty! And my little flat is quite nice too. It is right beside the school - in fact tacked onto the side of it, but I've decorated it and it is fine to stay in during the week. I think I'll be visiting some other towns in the area on most weekends - right now I am in Chalon-sur-Saone with my English friend Emily. We have been cycling lots (I bought a bike!) and we went to watch the rugby yesterday - I thought Australia would enjoy a glorious victory and that I would bask in it all afternoon... but alas.
So I am off on the train in an hour, back to Tournus.
I like the second chapter of my little French life.
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
i love paris in the summer when it sizzles...
Well, Paris. Brilliant, marvelous, exciting, beautiful. It is one of the most magnificent places on earth and yet somehow there are people who don't like it, or who don't think it's all it's cut out to be! I do not understand this. Paris is a breathtaking place. Oh how i love it.
Our arrival at Garre de Lyon was incredibly exciting, involving me nearly tripping a frail old man over with my suitcase as I dropped it in the middle of the platform to hug Ines...
The next two days were absolutely jam-packed due to Ines's incredible planning and constant jotting in her furry pink notebook. I don't think anyone has ever seen so much of Paris in 48 hours... I doubt Contiki could even fit it into a bus-ride and we did it on foot and by metro!
The Seine...
Looking back towards Notre Dame...
Ines thinking up her next cunning plan...
Goodness knows how long we spent getting lost among piles of amazing old books in here...
The most fabulous icecream in the world (note expression on Des's face!). Seriously. Challenges even the finest Italian gelati. And it was rose-shaped!
The Luxembourg Gardens are magnificent...
Why go to the beach when the beach can come to you? Right outside the Hotel De Ville, even!
There are even giant sprinklers hanging about in case of a heat wave!
Oh Pompideau Centre, how I love you. I came back here for two full days after this too!
We set off for the Eiffel Tower in the early evening, hoping to climb it in time to see Paris change from day to night. And we succeeded, witnessing a perfect sunset and watching the transformation of the city of light.
Right, enough photos of the tower. Onward...
This is one of my favorite pieces of advertising, it's been around for ages and - although, yes, ok, it is essentially another picture of the Eiffel Tower...
Day two of Ines's Extreme Tour of Paris began in Monmatre, where we wandered around,
There will be more... as soon as i figure out how to connect to this new wireless network and can post photos...
Saturday, 11 August 2007
leek soup...
I am still here, haven't vanished... I am staying near Antibes for a while, reading Harry Potter and eating leek soup. Next Thursday I fly to London and head straight to Tunbridge Wells where I will stay with Lotte and Stu for one night, then next Friday I get on a plane and land about 30 hours later in Sydney!
I left Avignon on 31st July, Des and I packed up our things and caught the TGV to Paris. Our wonderful friend Ines from Avignon picked us up at the station and we stayed with her in Alesia, near Montparnasse. After seeing more of Paris in two days than I think anyone has ever done, Des left for Dublin on Friday (one of the saddest of a lot of teary goodbyes lately), and I stayed on in Paris for four more days. We did so much and had so much fun, it really was sad to leave. On Tuesday Ines came with me to Dijon, for an investigation of my soon-to-be home town. It was stamped with approval, and Ines returned to Paris that evening (another goodbye), while I stayed at the most hilarious hotel I think I have ever seen. The next day I caught the TGV to Antibes - a really lovely train trip. I was dreading the 6 hours but I actually really enjoyed it. Tom picked me up from Antibes station and dropped me off up here in the hills.
I promise to write more in-depth about everything soon, and add photos!
Must get back to the leeks. Ugh.
I left Avignon on 31st July, Des and I packed up our things and caught the TGV to Paris. Our wonderful friend Ines from Avignon picked us up at the station and we stayed with her in Alesia, near Montparnasse. After seeing more of Paris in two days than I think anyone has ever done, Des left for Dublin on Friday (one of the saddest of a lot of teary goodbyes lately), and I stayed on in Paris for four more days. We did so much and had so much fun, it really was sad to leave. On Tuesday Ines came with me to Dijon, for an investigation of my soon-to-be home town. It was stamped with approval, and Ines returned to Paris that evening (another goodbye), while I stayed at the most hilarious hotel I think I have ever seen. The next day I caught the TGV to Antibes - a really lovely train trip. I was dreading the 6 hours but I actually really enjoyed it. Tom picked me up from Antibes station and dropped me off up here in the hills.
I promise to write more in-depth about everything soon, and add photos!
Must get back to the leeks. Ugh.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
long... long... long...
Summertime in Avignon!
Right, so I'm sort of up-to-date now. Nearly. I really should get back into the swing of writing on here regularly, instead of waiting until I think I have enough interesting things to write about - because when i do that I realise I actually do have a lot of things to write about and I have to back-track all over the place and it's just way to complicated...
So, back in Avignon now... most people have gone home now that uni is finished, and Avignon has transformed into a completely different place now that the festival is on (more about that later!) I spent the week after returning from the boat just catching up with everyone and saying some teary goodbyes to some dear Avignonian friends.
All of a sudden one day a ferris wheel appeared by the river. On Rachel's last night in Avignon we saw it through the trees and decided to go for a ride! It was a spontaneous decision, as most decisions in my life seem to be nowadays, but it was the most wonderful thing to do! The sun was just setting over the city and no one else was on with us. This was just before the great hoards of tourists arrived in Avignon. We could see the whole city spread around us, with a rainbow in the sky and all!
The Fete Musique was on a few nights later, a wonderful night was had by all. Avignon came alive and everyone was out on the streets. There was literally a band on every corner as we strolled about enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and every now and then having a spontaneous dance.
Right, so I'm sort of up-to-date now. Nearly. I really should get back into the swing of writing on here regularly, instead of waiting until I think I have enough interesting things to write about - because when i do that I realise I actually do have a lot of things to write about and I have to back-track all over the place and it's just way to complicated...
So, back in Avignon now... most people have gone home now that uni is finished, and Avignon has transformed into a completely different place now that the festival is on (more about that later!) I spent the week after returning from the boat just catching up with everyone and saying some teary goodbyes to some dear Avignonian friends.
All of a sudden one day a ferris wheel appeared by the river. On Rachel's last night in Avignon we saw it through the trees and decided to go for a ride! It was a spontaneous decision, as most decisions in my life seem to be nowadays, but it was the most wonderful thing to do! The sun was just setting over the city and no one else was on with us. This was just before the great hoards of tourists arrived in Avignon. We could see the whole city spread around us, with a rainbow in the sky and all!
The Fete Musique was on a few nights later, a wonderful night was had by all. Avignon came alive and everyone was out on the streets. There was literally a band on every corner as we strolled about enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and every now and then having a spontaneous dance.
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