Gotemba

After a few jet lagged days in Tokyo we traded the bright lights and crowds for some time in Gotemba.

Where?

Gotemba. It's the small city somewhere between Tokyo and Kyoto that Dave calls home. It could be said that it doesn't have a lot going for it as a tourist town, except for the fact that it's situated on the side of a giant inactive volcano. So, three cool things about Gotemba:

1. Fuji

Step out at the station, there's fuji. Look outside Dave's door, oh, it's Fuji. Driving to the supermarket, it's there. Wonder why there's a slight slope uphill? Oh, you're actually on Mt Fuju. This is endlessly amusing.

2. School

We went to visit the school where Dave works as an English Aid. The children were highly amused to see a giant blonde woman. One girl was so embarassed to meet me she fell over. Another asked if I was Dave's mum... hmmmm. We played Dodgeball at luchtime, as which I did very bad. I just couldn't bring myself to throw a ball as hard as possible at a pack of small children. But they seemed more relaxed about school safety - they had 3 meter high monkey bars, and kids were playing on unicycles and stilts.

3. Onsen

Athough it was sunny while we were in Gotemba, it was also rather chilly. And what better way to warm up than a trip to a traditional Japanese hot bath.

Possibly the most relaxing hour I've spent on the whole trip, sitting in the 40 degree water, thinking of nothing. Especially nice was the outdoor pool, where you could just kick back and admire the view. Of what? Fuji, of course.

Tokyo

To prevent excessive rambling I'm just going to give my top three favourite things about each city that I visited in Japan. City number one, that sprawling metropolis, the capital of Japan; Tokyo.

1. The Weather

It was t-shirt weather for the two days that we were there. Compared to the relentless rain that struck on the day I was passing though to go home, we were very very lucky. There was sunshine and, most unusual for Tokyo, clear skies. It was so clear in fact, that you could see Fuji from the top of panoramic buildings. Even from 100 km away it looked huge.

2. Sukiji Fish Markets

If you told me that waking up at four thirty in the morning to watch people haul fish around would be one of the most fascinating things to do in Tokyo I would never have believed you. I'm a vegetarian for goodness sake, and even when I wasn't I didn't really eat fish.

But there I was on a crisp, clear morning, at a market the size of Vic Markets (ie BIG) dedicated to supplying the fishy needs of over 8 million people. It was a life and death experience walking through the mini carts used to haul the fish around, but we somehow made it to the auction hall alive. Unlike the fish.

We watched the buyers examine the fish, poking and prodding and chatting. The auction itself was all over very quickly - most fish sold for around 1000 AUD and above. Then they were lugged off to be cut up and sold on to retailers and restaurants.

3. Jet Lag

I always find jet lag amusing - it's like being drunk without all the bother of drinking! Walking around Tokyo in a daze just added to the ambience. It was almost like being in Lost in Translation - but the hotel wasn't as flash and Dave makes a really unconvincing Scarlet Johansson.

Jetlag in Japan

So it's been a whole week packed full of adventure and I haven't writen. Now I'm in an internet cafe at Tokyo airport and really can't put seven days of fun into one pithy post. Instead over the next week or so I'll post about my adventures, which will have the added benefit of delaying the inevidable self absorbed meta ramblings of the recently returned traveller.

but now, to the duty free store!!

A Tale of Two Hostels： London

According to some　website (the best place to get creditble inforation) The Radisson Edwardian in Heathrow has been voted the best airport hotel by some pack of snobs at some　point in time. I would have to concur- but as the premiere classe hotel is the only other I've stayed in that's probably not a large enough sample for such awards to be handed out.

So I had a lovely bed, a TV with lots of different stations, in more languages that just French, which had a personalised greeting message on the screen when I arrived. There was a bath, a desk AND a small table (so many places to sit!) and amusing things like a minibar, personal safe and steam press.

I had a burger for dinner and a glass of wine at the bistro, and another drink in the lounge bar afterwards, all of which cost me more than my average weekly food budget...

All in all it was a lovely experience, but considering it was about 3-5 times the amout I normally pay for accomodation,I don't think it's a lifestyle habit I'll be adopting any time soon.

A Tale of Two Hotels: Part One, Toulouse

Last night I stayed in the Premiere Classe Hotel near Toulouse airport. It was a two star affair, which had an ambiance somewhere between a cheep motel and a low security prison.

the check in was facilitated by a machine like a cashpoint. Each room had a double bed and a bunk cramed in, a TV without cable (unthinkable in Europe!) and a bathroom built like on in a caravan, where you shower right over the toilet.

Dinner was at Mc Donalds, and the morning wakeup call was an alarm set on the television.

There was a strip of fluro lighting to iluminate the room, and they're very thoughtfully put metal shutters on the windows to keep out the light and the prying eyes of other guests using the walkway.

And the bedspread was quite ugly.

Andorable

The other day my family (including my brother and his friend, who have dropped by to visit for a few days) took a couple of cars up to Andora for a day trip.

Andora is a small independent principality snuggled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. It is very remarkable for a couple of reasons.

1. There was snow

Which was of great amusement to us all. There was a good covering on the slopes, and there was lots of snowball throwing action. My brother also decided that 3 degrees celsius was the perfect temperature to walk around bare chested. He was lucky that no one tried to capture him and claim him as the Andoran Yeti.

2. Cheep cheep liquor

Andora is a tax haven, and they don't have any duty on their alcohol. This means that it is basically a giant airport duty free lounge for their neighbours in Spain and France. The streets in the two or three main towns were brim full of electronics boutiques, perfumeries, jewellers, tobacconists and supermarkets selling alcohol, chocolate, confectionary and cheese.

The alcohol wasn't just cheep, it was astonishingly cheep; 10 Euro (~ 20 AUD) for a liter of Absolute flavored vodka, and around 8 Euro for a liter of your standard bourbons.

The down side of this is that the French will try and charge you duty on whatever you take out of the country, and will do thorough searches on random vehicles as your re-enter their country. They also have search posts about an hour down the mountains, just in case you think you got away.

So while all of this was of great amusement, the windy roads up the mountains to get there left me with the worst car sickness I ever had. Perhaps I should have partaken in the affordable booze for medicinal purposes...

Good and Bad

As though the route that I had to take from Brussels to get back to the south of France wasn't bad enough - the train that I was on from Lyon to Toulouse was over crowded, so I sat in the large luggage rack. Then, 20 minutes into the journey, our train was involved in an accident, and so we were stuck o the tracks for two hours. Luckily it wasn't a Russian train, so we could still use the toilet while we were stopped.

But after all the drama and mayhem, I have made it back to the same little pocket of France where I was a few weeks ago. It's another anonymous little town, but this one has a better bakery. The weather is quite mild, and the vines that were lovely and green last time are now a riot of reds, browns, yellows, purples and browns.

Also, my parents have been very busy in my absence - they've decided to buy a house in this sleepy little village. A great big old place full of dust and peeling wall paper and lovely furniture. So although I'm only here for a week now, I feel that I'll be spending much more time in this area in the years to come.

Pick-up Line Fail

In a souvenir shop, Brussels.

Shopkeeper: So, are you looking for something special
me: er, no, not really.
Shopkeeper: ah, so maybe you are looking for me.

I'm not sure whether he has too much self confidence, or not enough, after that remark.

So French...

The thing about the French (and possibly every other culture more or less) is that everone loves the good cultural experiences, like red wine, 35 hour working weeks, brilliant baked goods, a wonderful modern art tradition, Amelie, etc. But you never really get a feel for a country until you experience the shittier side of their outlook on life.

Point in case: Strikes.

The whole of France is having a 3 day train strike. So instead of visiting Luxemburg as intended, and then returning to see the folks in the South of France, I have to take a long, complicated, over crowded (and expensive) train ride down to Toulouse.

Still, Luxemburg should be there for a while yet, and there's always next time.

As for the city I am currently in; Brussels is dirty, ugly and smelly. It has a couple of nice buildings, the undersized and overhyped peeing boy statue, and the best flea market I have ever visited. It was in a good sized market square and had everything, from clothes to trinkets to furniture. Brussels also has lots of chocolate shops, good waffles and amazing fries. They also have lots of great beer. You can get a Chimay at the supermarket for about AUD 1.50m and last night we went to a bar with over 2500 beers, the list was about 5cm thick. I don't think my backpack is going to come home too much heavier, but I certainly will at this rate. So it's all balanced out into quite a good time here.

So yes, on to France tomorrow, and a quite week of lounging around, eating less deep fried and chocolate things and spending some time with the family before they head off to Canada for the Christmas season and I begin to make my way home via a week in Japan. The end of the adventure is in sight.

Max Planck

I did mention earlier that in the middle of all the Benelux chocolate, beer, cute buildings, very green country-side and chips, that I was planning a nerdy detour. And so now I find myself at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmagen, West Netherlands.

This is one of the coolest places in linguistics in the last ten years (within a very specific, academic definition of cool). My former supervisor has been here doing research work and very kindly arranged a visit.

It has been amazing to see such a high caliber institute. The facilities are second to none, and the people are incredibly enthusiastic, passionate and very very smart. The downside as been that I haven't really used my brain in an academic capacity, or followed much linguistics for the last 12 months - but I have perfected my ability to smile and nod as though I understand what people are talking about.

This afternoon I'm off to Brussels so I'll be able to slide back into the less brain-stretching holiday mode that I've been in for a while now, and return to my usual hobbies of looking at old buildings and eating.

'Dam fine town

As an Australian, the next statemnt will probably sound like a heresy, and I'm not sure whether they'll let me back into the country after I've said it, but it does need to be said. The Dutch do some of the best hot chips ever.

I can't decide whether it's because they serve them in a cone, whether they often slightly over cook them to crispyness the way I like it, or the fact that they have somthing called fritsause to smother them with (the sause basically being a tasty version of mayonase).

I am currently debating whether I can buy chips as a breakfast food, even though I'm not hungover. It just doesn't seem right somehow...

Also, because almost all my posts invariably end up about food, I should also try to let you know about other things too. I really love Amsterdam for its cosy size, beautful canals and greenery, and the museums. It is possible to aviod the dweebs who come here for their weekends of debauchery if you stay out of the inner area near the station, well, not entirely possible - but Amsterdam is all about a 'look the other way' permissiveness.

London Town

London has been turning on all her charm for Claire and I - and by charm, I mean rain - but that has not stopped us having a lovely weekend. Having both visited here before, and therefore being free of the imperative of sightseeing, we have taken a more leisurely itinerary.

We spent a morning at Camden markets, an afternoon trawling the second-hand book dealers along Charing Cross Road, and managed a visit to Brick Lane for curry, Harrods for tea (actually, chocolate milkshakes, but they were divine) and a late-night jaunt to my favourite bagel shop, which I was very happy to find has not changed a jot in the last five years (including the prices...).

Apart from all of the pleasantness above, we were also treated to a special wake up at our hostel this morning from London's finest. Someone had apparently reported a 'woman in distress' in the hostel and the police decided to door knock each room at seven in the morning in an attempt to find said woman. It was almost like being in The Bill (but without the explosions and workplace sexual tension).

Tonight Claire is heading off to Oxford, and I'm catching an overnight ferry to The Netherlands for the start of my Benelux week (Benelux being Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg). There'll be plenty of sightseeing, plus a special nerd excursion on Tuesday. So expect a week of postings on chocolate, hot chips, beer and... psycholinguistics!