Impressive!!!
I think Brisbane is a Beautiful City. The Brisbane River winds around the city and is used as an intergrated part of their transportation system.
What really impressed me was the roads built on piles in the river hugging the river edge. It not only enhances the landscape but I imagine helps releave the traffic on land.
Yesterday I took the City Sights Hop On Hop Off bus and ferry tour which gives you a quick way of geting to know the city. From the top of Mt. Coot-Tha it gave me a 360 degree view of the landscape below.
On the way down stopped to see the Mt. coot-Tha Botanical Gardens. I really liked their scent garden of herbs and flowers and the lay out of their cactus and suculents garden. There are many gardens in and around the city. The sidewalks,and malls...areas for walking is spacious. There are many bins for smokers with signs "Use the bins or lose $150.00" It works. I saw many smokers next to them.
The planters are built high and bordered by lots of sitting spaces. This makes it easy to maintain the plants and save spaces. Simple and practical.
I really like their Food Courts. Foods from India,Vietnam,Malaysia,and many healthy food choices.
Perhaps because they hosted the Olympic not too long ago everything has been upgraded,but I am impressed with the walkways along the river,the parks,and it just appears to me Australians are very pratical minded in their of idea of design and use of of building materials. Designs are clean lines,modern,practical and easy on the eye.
The CityCat ferry system seem to be intergrated with the train and bus system. All along the river are places people can get on off and you pay on the ferry or on the bus.
My time on this free computer is almost up. I really appreciate this since it is $2.00 per 30 minutes at the hostel.
I leave to go back to Sydney tomorrow. After a brief rest at Emily's I will go to the Blue Mountains for the weekend. I understand the Blue Mountains are very beautiful. Mary Ellen Powell who invited me said there are many wonderful walking trails.
I will tell you how I liked the Blue Mountains when I have a chance.
Aloha
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Australia, What an Amazing Country!!!!!
Sydney,Melbourne,Bisbane,and many other cities in Australia were prison settlements,but not Adelaide. It was the first city to be settled by free people. And fortunate for them Colonial William Light was sent from England to plan the city. He had integrity and perseverance.He wanted it to be the most beautiful city. He wanted it to be a city with many parks, wide streets and a city easy to walk around.The four sides NSEW are exactly one mile from the city center. He wanted to have a river running through it so he chose a spot where the Torrens river flows through. According to Jodi,our tour director, against great opposition his plan prevailed and is still followed. The first settlers were very rich people,but had to stay in tent cities until the plans were completed. Jodi thinks the city is highly under rated.
One thing I noticed about Adelaide it never feels crowded. There are also many benches to sit and rest under the many large shady trees.
Bangkok has its Sky Trains. Adelaide has an Otoban...a bus that can travel on tracks and road. This helps people living in the suburbs fast access to the city center. It
was brought from Germany.
I went to the Nature Conservative yesterday with Jon. I really liked the way it is set up. The whole area is fenced in but most of the native animals are free to roam around freely. I enjoyed walking among the many different kinds of kangaroos. I was surprised to learn some are as small as a rats and there are so many different kinds.
According to Jon these marsupial(pouch)animals are only found in Australia. We also saw some Echidna. They lay eggs but also raise their babies in pouches. They have some really strange animals. We also saw many native birds,swans,ducks,goose,and I didn't realize how big pelicans are. The dingo looks very much like a German shepard to me,except leaner and smaller, and I understand cannot be domesticated. They are very clever and unpredictable. They have beautiful like brown air. I really enjoyed spending the whole afternoon at the nature conservatory. Oh yes and the Koalas and snakes and other reptiles,etc.
Today Lois, Jon's mom and I went to the history museums in Adelaide which tells the story of the aboregines of Australia as well as New Guinea,Solomon,Caledonia,Tonga,and others islands near by. I am learning a lot about peoples in these area.
My head was getting dizzy from seeing so much and was really happy to just sit on a bench outside with some Japanese sushi we picked up from the food court. Before getting to the Otoban bus which took us closer to our parked car we allowed ourselves to relax with a cup of capacino(spl)coffee. In Australia it is always sprinkled with chocolate.
Tomorrow I will fly back to Sydney and return to the Cousins. After resting I will fly to Brisbane on Saturday and remain there for five days and again rest in Sydney before going to stay for a few days in the Blue Mountain area with Mary Ellen Powell who I met in Turkey. We enjoyed being on the same three day gulet boat trip in the Mediterranean Sea. That was a wonderful trip. We had so much fun and Rakhat recieved some extra special lessons on women from these gals.
Aloha until next time.
One thing I noticed about Adelaide it never feels crowded. There are also many benches to sit and rest under the many large shady trees.
Bangkok has its Sky Trains. Adelaide has an Otoban...a bus that can travel on tracks and road. This helps people living in the suburbs fast access to the city center. It
was brought from Germany.
I went to the Nature Conservative yesterday with Jon. I really liked the way it is set up. The whole area is fenced in but most of the native animals are free to roam around freely. I enjoyed walking among the many different kinds of kangaroos. I was surprised to learn some are as small as a rats and there are so many different kinds.
According to Jon these marsupial(pouch)animals are only found in Australia. We also saw some Echidna. They lay eggs but also raise their babies in pouches. They have some really strange animals. We also saw many native birds,swans,ducks,goose,and I didn't realize how big pelicans are. The dingo looks very much like a German shepard to me,except leaner and smaller, and I understand cannot be domesticated. They are very clever and unpredictable. They have beautiful like brown air. I really enjoyed spending the whole afternoon at the nature conservatory. Oh yes and the Koalas and snakes and other reptiles,etc.
Today Lois, Jon's mom and I went to the history museums in Adelaide which tells the story of the aboregines of Australia as well as New Guinea,Solomon,Caledonia,Tonga,and others islands near by. I am learning a lot about peoples in these area.
My head was getting dizzy from seeing so much and was really happy to just sit on a bench outside with some Japanese sushi we picked up from the food court. Before getting to the Otoban bus which took us closer to our parked car we allowed ourselves to relax with a cup of capacino(spl)coffee. In Australia it is always sprinkled with chocolate.
Tomorrow I will fly back to Sydney and return to the Cousins. After resting I will fly to Brisbane on Saturday and remain there for five days and again rest in Sydney before going to stay for a few days in the Blue Mountain area with Mary Ellen Powell who I met in Turkey. We enjoyed being on the same three day gulet boat trip in the Mediterranean Sea. That was a wonderful trip. We had so much fun and Rakhat recieved some extra special lessons on women from these gals.
Aloha until next time.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I am now in Adelaide.
It is a gorgeous day,the sun is shining and the sky is blue. We were blessed with good weather all throughout our six day tour of the Great Ocean Road with AAT Kings tour.
(I am presently staying with the family of Jon Addison who I met on a boat from Turkey to the Greek islands. It is a place like Kokee surrounded by trees. Just beautiful.)
Our tour director,Jodi Butterworth, was one of the most enthusiastic tour directors I have ever met.Her love of Australia and her passion to share Australia with others is very apparent. She traveled throughout Europe and U.S. when working for IBM and soon realized how much she loved Australia. I can see her behind an executive desk in any big company. She is around my daughter Shari's age,38-39 yrs. I also learned that she spent time volunteering for an AIDs project in Africa and worked for groups like doctors without walls. She has done camping tours with teens. I found her to be a very interesting person. We also had an exceptional good driver,Gary, for our huge tour bus. There were 44 of us all together. Besides Australians there were people from Belgium,Holland,England,Chili,two kids Lucus,6yrs and Monica,13yrs both from Bolivia not from same families adopted by an Australian woman,and brothers James 12yrs,Matthew 8yrs and their mother from Oxfordshire, England.
Australia is indeed vast,varied,and seem to have very common sense laws. They are very environmentally consious and care for their wild life. In Sydney as well as Adelaide I found many types of trees,plants,vegetations that are similiar to those found in Hawaii. It really surprised me that that they even have purple lilikoi like we have in Kokee.
Kangaroo Island was especially fascinating. Being isolated it still has many endemic plants and animals. I also got to see the penguins on Phillip Island before the tour began. I had a whole day in Melbourne and decided to go a small van tour. It was fascinating to watch the little little penguins(they are the smallest of its species and I was told that they are found only in Australia)come back from their all day fishing up on the sandy beach to their homes. They would gather in groups of about a dozen before coming up on the sand from the water. It was really fun to watch them.
This computer and phone system is connected so I need to get off of it.
I will try to continue later.
Aloha, Joanne
(I am presently staying with the family of Jon Addison who I met on a boat from Turkey to the Greek islands. It is a place like Kokee surrounded by trees. Just beautiful.)
Our tour director,Jodi Butterworth, was one of the most enthusiastic tour directors I have ever met.Her love of Australia and her passion to share Australia with others is very apparent. She traveled throughout Europe and U.S. when working for IBM and soon realized how much she loved Australia. I can see her behind an executive desk in any big company. She is around my daughter Shari's age,38-39 yrs. I also learned that she spent time volunteering for an AIDs project in Africa and worked for groups like doctors without walls. She has done camping tours with teens. I found her to be a very interesting person. We also had an exceptional good driver,Gary, for our huge tour bus. There were 44 of us all together. Besides Australians there were people from Belgium,Holland,England,Chili,two kids Lucus,6yrs and Monica,13yrs both from Bolivia not from same families adopted by an Australian woman,and brothers James 12yrs,Matthew 8yrs and their mother from Oxfordshire, England.
Australia is indeed vast,varied,and seem to have very common sense laws. They are very environmentally consious and care for their wild life. In Sydney as well as Adelaide I found many types of trees,plants,vegetations that are similiar to those found in Hawaii. It really surprised me that that they even have purple lilikoi like we have in Kokee.
Kangaroo Island was especially fascinating. Being isolated it still has many endemic plants and animals. I also got to see the penguins on Phillip Island before the tour began. I had a whole day in Melbourne and decided to go a small van tour. It was fascinating to watch the little little penguins(they are the smallest of its species and I was told that they are found only in Australia)come back from their all day fishing up on the sandy beach to their homes. They would gather in groups of about a dozen before coming up on the sand from the water. It was really fun to watch them.
This computer and phone system is connected so I need to get off of it.
I will try to continue later.
Aloha, Joanne
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
I arrived in Sydney on Sunday April 6, at 8 am.
I returned to Tokyo hostel from Ueno Park, got my bags out from storage and loaded with my backpack,day bag,a bag full of senbei and pulling along my black bags on wheels I walked about a mile to the subway entrance. There are many steps to get down to the ticket machine and plateform. I gave myself a lot of time because of these steps. Some of the bigger stations have elevators,but many of these smaler ones don't. At Ueno station a kind young girl who works as a ground service crew for Cathay Pacific helped me get my baggage up the steps and helped me get to Qantas Airlines.
I was so happy I did the trial run because there were long corridors from one train to another and it would have been stressful not knowing whether you were going in the right direction. I did not take the Express train to Narita so the train made many stops before finally reaching terminal 2 at Narita airport.
There are many nice eating places on the 4th floor of Narita airport including Mc Donalds. It seemed to be a popular eating place,with comparatively reasonal prices.
I chose a shop where I could have small cup of clam chowder and sandwich.
After I went through customs and security check I realized that I had forgetten to pick up my daily planner when I made a last minute telephone call to Kazue Nosohara.
It really upset me since all my contact numbers and information is in it and they said that could not allow me to go back to get it. I was so releaved when just before departure they were able to retrieve it.
This was my first flight on Qantas. It has comfortable seats and very good food.
The plane taxied off at about 9pm from Narita and arrived in Sydney the next morning about 7:15am.
I think Sydney airport is the most efficiently set up of all the airports I have been through. In most of the others I had to stnd in line for quite sometime Sydney had many many windows and did not take us long. I was happy to see Emily and her parents when I finally was able to get out.
Mr. Cousins was nice enough to deviate from their usual path so I could see the Sydney Opera House and other sights before getting to their lovely home in the suburbs.
Ian Cousins is a partner in a large accountant firm. Kate Cousins teaches kindergarten, but fortunately for me had taken a years leave this year.
In the evening I attended their church,Saint John Episcopal Church. I really enjoyed their services. They had a small 4 piece mixed band of four youths;a pianist,guitarist,trumpet player and drummer. Guess who played the drums? I was surprised to see Emily play the drums. She is good.Her mom says she has weekly lessons after school. The music director is a young woman from a University in Sydney. I was impressed to see so many high school and college students at the service. There were about 25-30 youth. In the morning they hold two other Sunday srrvices. On Monday Kate,Emily's mom,and I spent several hours at a travel agent trying to arrange a bus tour for me. Many Australian I met at hostels strongly recommended the Coastal road tour from Melbourne to Adelaide. This Friday I will be flying to Melbourne. I will have one full day in Melbourne. The six day tour begins early Saturdy morning. I will arrive in Adelaide on the 17th. There I will be staying at the farm of Jon Addisons family. I met Jon on the boat from Turkey to the Greek islands. We went hiking one day and rented a car on another and drove around the island of Naxos. We had a wonderful time. Jon grew up in Adelaide, but had been working as a Marine curator at a museum in Scotland. Last February he returned home to Australia. His family operates an organic farm and also has a vineyard and they make their own wine. I will stay in Adelaide for 5 nights before flying back to Sidney. Kate suggests that I see Tasmania. They have been there many times and love it. I have not yet decided whether to go or not.
It has been wonderful. It has been rainy but less cold than China and Japan.
When I get back from the Coast tour and Adelaide, I will let you know how it was.
Aloha, Joanne
I was so happy I did the trial run because there were long corridors from one train to another and it would have been stressful not knowing whether you were going in the right direction. I did not take the Express train to Narita so the train made many stops before finally reaching terminal 2 at Narita airport.
There are many nice eating places on the 4th floor of Narita airport including Mc Donalds. It seemed to be a popular eating place,with comparatively reasonal prices.
I chose a shop where I could have small cup of clam chowder and sandwich.
After I went through customs and security check I realized that I had forgetten to pick up my daily planner when I made a last minute telephone call to Kazue Nosohara.
It really upset me since all my contact numbers and information is in it and they said that could not allow me to go back to get it. I was so releaved when just before departure they were able to retrieve it.
This was my first flight on Qantas. It has comfortable seats and very good food.
The plane taxied off at about 9pm from Narita and arrived in Sydney the next morning about 7:15am.
I think Sydney airport is the most efficiently set up of all the airports I have been through. In most of the others I had to stnd in line for quite sometime Sydney had many many windows and did not take us long. I was happy to see Emily and her parents when I finally was able to get out.
Mr. Cousins was nice enough to deviate from their usual path so I could see the Sydney Opera House and other sights before getting to their lovely home in the suburbs.
Ian Cousins is a partner in a large accountant firm. Kate Cousins teaches kindergarten, but fortunately for me had taken a years leave this year.
In the evening I attended their church,Saint John Episcopal Church. I really enjoyed their services. They had a small 4 piece mixed band of four youths;a pianist,guitarist,trumpet player and drummer. Guess who played the drums? I was surprised to see Emily play the drums. She is good.Her mom says she has weekly lessons after school. The music director is a young woman from a University in Sydney. I was impressed to see so many high school and college students at the service. There were about 25-30 youth. In the morning they hold two other Sunday srrvices. On Monday Kate,Emily's mom,and I spent several hours at a travel agent trying to arrange a bus tour for me. Many Australian I met at hostels strongly recommended the Coastal road tour from Melbourne to Adelaide. This Friday I will be flying to Melbourne. I will have one full day in Melbourne. The six day tour begins early Saturdy morning. I will arrive in Adelaide on the 17th. There I will be staying at the farm of Jon Addisons family. I met Jon on the boat from Turkey to the Greek islands. We went hiking one day and rented a car on another and drove around the island of Naxos. We had a wonderful time. Jon grew up in Adelaide, but had been working as a Marine curator at a museum in Scotland. Last February he returned home to Australia. His family operates an organic farm and also has a vineyard and they make their own wine. I will stay in Adelaide for 5 nights before flying back to Sidney. Kate suggests that I see Tasmania. They have been there many times and love it. I have not yet decided whether to go or not.
It has been wonderful. It has been rainy but less cold than China and Japan.
When I get back from the Coast tour and Adelaide, I will let you know how it was.
Aloha, Joanne
Friday, April 4, 2008
Simply Spectacular!!! It is Cherry Blossom Time
It is not easy to discrib the scene at Ueno Park.
As instructed I went to Minowa Station and took the subway to Ueno. I asked a young girl with her daughter and father for help in using the ticket machine. They were so kind. The father showed me how then asked me to follow them and escorted me from getting on the subway to out of Ueno Station until we could see the steps to Ueno Park. We then said our goodbyes and I walked across the street to the steps.
Hanging over the long steps up was a beautiful branch of cherry blossoms.
As I entered the park more beautiful blossoms of pink and white among statues, monuments and temples. As I walked down the steps to another level I approached a long wide street lined with cherry blossoms. It was breathtaking!!!! I just stood still for a moment and just took it in. It was soooo beautiful.
Earlier when I just flew into Tokyo the buds were just bursting. On the street near Isoko's place the trees were beginning to bloom. I thought Hiroshima being farther South I would see them in full bloom there. But there were very very frew flowers.
I returned to Tokyo a week later and here in Ueno Park they were in full bloom.
I walked slowly all around the park enjoying God's gift.
A shop near the children's amusement park served ice cream and something I had not scene before. It was banana,strawberry,chocolate,and a scoupe of ice cream all wrapped up in a thin pancake with a couple thin crispy biscuits stuck in. It was delicious and cost 460 yen. That was my lunch. I sat on a table outside and watched parents and little children being treated by dotting grandparents. Things in Japan are expensive. Especially after being spoiled living in Thailand and mainland China.
Many,many people were at the park enjoying the cherry blossoms. They brought their mats and lunches and sat under the trees.
I spied a tall totem pole with a lion at the top with large letters LION through the cherry blossoms. I had to take a photo of that. A lion from Singapore offered to take a photo of me. I felt LION members on Kauai might enjoy this.
Ueno Park has a large lake. Many were enjoying going around on paddle and row boats.
There were also many food stalls and shops along the walking paths.
Before getting to the subway I had eaten a bowl of noodles at a shop recommended by Chad of Vancouver Canada who has been working here in Tokyo and staying at the hostel.He said it was cheap and good. He was right. It cost 300yen and was good.
So I decided that I could splurge a little at Ueno Park. I tried broiled snails on a stick with a drink. It was a little tough but chewy and tasty.
The next day I decided to visit another recommended place, Asakusa. It is known for its'beautiful temples and shops. It is a place Chad said you could go to have bad luck blown away by standing in the smoke. Another fun thing was to go on a river cruise along Tokyo bay. One of the cruises ended at a beautiful garden. Asakusa was close enough that I would be able to walk to it from the hostel. So that is what I did. He said that it would take about 10 minutes. I know that with my short legs it would take me 20-30 minutes allowing me to stop and see other things of interest along the way. I also asked the girls in the office where I could get good local foods in the area away from the tourist spots.
The entrance and exit of the temple gounds is a huge wooden gate.
the exit also features a HUGE lantern.
Besides the huge beautiful temples there are many many shops along the way. Someone said that not too long ago the shops were not allowed on the temple grounds.
The boat bus took us under 12 or more interesting bridges that span the river.
I enjoyed the beautiful pine park at the end. It is large,but I was given about hour and a half before needing to take the last boat back to Asakusa. Besides many walking bridges and beautiful chery blossoms it features a Tea House. They don't take the time to do it properly like Miwako did in Hiroshima but never the less it was an experience in a beautiful setting.
This morning I am doing a trial run. I am going to Ueno Station where I am to get tickets on the train to Narita airport this afternoon. I won't have my baggage with me so it will take me less time,but I will have more confidence as to where I am to go and what I need to do.
Aloha, Joanne
As instructed I went to Minowa Station and took the subway to Ueno. I asked a young girl with her daughter and father for help in using the ticket machine. They were so kind. The father showed me how then asked me to follow them and escorted me from getting on the subway to out of Ueno Station until we could see the steps to Ueno Park. We then said our goodbyes and I walked across the street to the steps.
Hanging over the long steps up was a beautiful branch of cherry blossoms.
As I entered the park more beautiful blossoms of pink and white among statues, monuments and temples. As I walked down the steps to another level I approached a long wide street lined with cherry blossoms. It was breathtaking!!!! I just stood still for a moment and just took it in. It was soooo beautiful.
Earlier when I just flew into Tokyo the buds were just bursting. On the street near Isoko's place the trees were beginning to bloom. I thought Hiroshima being farther South I would see them in full bloom there. But there were very very frew flowers.
I returned to Tokyo a week later and here in Ueno Park they were in full bloom.
I walked slowly all around the park enjoying God's gift.
A shop near the children's amusement park served ice cream and something I had not scene before. It was banana,strawberry,chocolate,and a scoupe of ice cream all wrapped up in a thin pancake with a couple thin crispy biscuits stuck in. It was delicious and cost 460 yen. That was my lunch. I sat on a table outside and watched parents and little children being treated by dotting grandparents. Things in Japan are expensive. Especially after being spoiled living in Thailand and mainland China.
Many,many people were at the park enjoying the cherry blossoms. They brought their mats and lunches and sat under the trees.
I spied a tall totem pole with a lion at the top with large letters LION through the cherry blossoms. I had to take a photo of that. A lion from Singapore offered to take a photo of me. I felt LION members on Kauai might enjoy this.
Ueno Park has a large lake. Many were enjoying going around on paddle and row boats.
There were also many food stalls and shops along the walking paths.
Before getting to the subway I had eaten a bowl of noodles at a shop recommended by Chad of Vancouver Canada who has been working here in Tokyo and staying at the hostel.He said it was cheap and good. He was right. It cost 300yen and was good.
So I decided that I could splurge a little at Ueno Park. I tried broiled snails on a stick with a drink. It was a little tough but chewy and tasty.
The next day I decided to visit another recommended place, Asakusa. It is known for its'beautiful temples and shops. It is a place Chad said you could go to have bad luck blown away by standing in the smoke. Another fun thing was to go on a river cruise along Tokyo bay. One of the cruises ended at a beautiful garden. Asakusa was close enough that I would be able to walk to it from the hostel. So that is what I did. He said that it would take about 10 minutes. I know that with my short legs it would take me 20-30 minutes allowing me to stop and see other things of interest along the way. I also asked the girls in the office where I could get good local foods in the area away from the tourist spots.
The entrance and exit of the temple gounds is a huge wooden gate.
the exit also features a HUGE lantern.
Besides the huge beautiful temples there are many many shops along the way. Someone said that not too long ago the shops were not allowed on the temple grounds.
The boat bus took us under 12 or more interesting bridges that span the river.
I enjoyed the beautiful pine park at the end. It is large,but I was given about hour and a half before needing to take the last boat back to Asakusa. Besides many walking bridges and beautiful chery blossoms it features a Tea House. They don't take the time to do it properly like Miwako did in Hiroshima but never the less it was an experience in a beautiful setting.
This morning I am doing a trial run. I am going to Ueno Station where I am to get tickets on the train to Narita airport this afternoon. I won't have my baggage with me so it will take me less time,but I will have more confidence as to where I am to go and what I need to do.
Aloha, Joanne
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
It is Cherry Blossom Time in Tokyo !!!!!
God has been very kind to me. Rakhat used to say "The weather in Kauai is so kind."
I flew to Hong Kong on March 21th. The weather was a bit rainy but that did not stop Andy,Tracy and I from having dinner in a popular Indian restaurant and then later taking a boat to Hong Kong island and going up to the Peak to witness a spectacular view. Andy and Tracy have lived in Hong Kong all their lives but had never gone up. In her email to me recently she said it was an awesome experience for her that she will long remember. Going back to the Indian restaurant we sat next to a table of young university students. Some were from Malaysia as well as Hong Kong. But the one closes to us Tracy thought spoke Japanese. So I asked him if he was Japanese. He was,but he could also speak Cantonese and he learned the language by listening to the Hong Kong radio stations in Japan. Quite remarkable.
I had to catch a 5:30am bus to the airport next day. I met two filipino men waiting for the airport bus on the street. They both now live in Florida. On the bus I sat near two girls from Holland who had spent three months in New Zealand and stopped in Hong Kong for a day of shopping and were now on their way home.
When I arrived at Narita airport I had no Japanese money and promised Isoko of Tokyo that I would call her before getting on the bus which would take me to the Keio Hotel where she would meet me. To my surprise I had to go to three floors before I could find an ATM that would allow me to draw money. Japan operate on a different system. I later learned that the 7-11 stores have an international ATM that will. I also soon learned that I could not put a Japanese sim card in my cell phone as I was able to do in Kenya,Pakistan,Thailand,and China. The country I thought I would have least trouble traveling around I have experienced the most problems. Getting access to the internet has also been difficult. If I had stayed in a hostel I would not have had the problem because all hostels have internet. In Hiroshima I stayed at the International Youth House and there was no internet that I could use. And finding internet cafes is not easy. Isoko in Tokyo has a computer but it is six years old and was acting funny. In Hiroshima I finally found a internet cafe but the name Popeye was written in Japanese so I could not read it and had difficulty finding it and did not have time. In the Kisa/Miyoshi small village Kazue had a computer but no internet access. I could not use a computer for two weeks.
Here at the Bakpak Tokyo Hostel I am happy I find internet access and it is free.
I have been at the computer practically all day except for lunch break. I wanted to send an email message to Chisato again hoping to connect with her while in Tokyo. She said that she would be moving to Tokyo on March 28 and enrolling in a college,but did not say which one.
I have been wanting to sent an email to Emily Cousins in Sidney,Australia. I received an email from her mother and made a reply today. I will be leaving on Saturday April 5 for Sidney.
I learned today that I am very close to Ueno and Asakusa both historical places in Tokyo. The flier says Ueno became famous shortly after the establishment of Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo in 1603. It has beautiful park with many Cherry Blossoms. One of the guest here said she was there yesterday and the trees are in full bloom.
I plan to visit these places tomorrow. I will be able to discrib them better after my visit.
Aloha, Joanne
I flew to Hong Kong on March 21th. The weather was a bit rainy but that did not stop Andy,Tracy and I from having dinner in a popular Indian restaurant and then later taking a boat to Hong Kong island and going up to the Peak to witness a spectacular view. Andy and Tracy have lived in Hong Kong all their lives but had never gone up. In her email to me recently she said it was an awesome experience for her that she will long remember. Going back to the Indian restaurant we sat next to a table of young university students. Some were from Malaysia as well as Hong Kong. But the one closes to us Tracy thought spoke Japanese. So I asked him if he was Japanese. He was,but he could also speak Cantonese and he learned the language by listening to the Hong Kong radio stations in Japan. Quite remarkable.
I had to catch a 5:30am bus to the airport next day. I met two filipino men waiting for the airport bus on the street. They both now live in Florida. On the bus I sat near two girls from Holland who had spent three months in New Zealand and stopped in Hong Kong for a day of shopping and were now on their way home.
When I arrived at Narita airport I had no Japanese money and promised Isoko of Tokyo that I would call her before getting on the bus which would take me to the Keio Hotel where she would meet me. To my surprise I had to go to three floors before I could find an ATM that would allow me to draw money. Japan operate on a different system. I later learned that the 7-11 stores have an international ATM that will. I also soon learned that I could not put a Japanese sim card in my cell phone as I was able to do in Kenya,Pakistan,Thailand,and China. The country I thought I would have least trouble traveling around I have experienced the most problems. Getting access to the internet has also been difficult. If I had stayed in a hostel I would not have had the problem because all hostels have internet. In Hiroshima I stayed at the International Youth House and there was no internet that I could use. And finding internet cafes is not easy. Isoko in Tokyo has a computer but it is six years old and was acting funny. In Hiroshima I finally found a internet cafe but the name Popeye was written in Japanese so I could not read it and had difficulty finding it and did not have time. In the Kisa/Miyoshi small village Kazue had a computer but no internet access. I could not use a computer for two weeks.
Here at the Bakpak Tokyo Hostel I am happy I find internet access and it is free.
I have been at the computer practically all day except for lunch break. I wanted to send an email message to Chisato again hoping to connect with her while in Tokyo. She said that she would be moving to Tokyo on March 28 and enrolling in a college,but did not say which one.
I have been wanting to sent an email to Emily Cousins in Sidney,Australia. I received an email from her mother and made a reply today. I will be leaving on Saturday April 5 for Sidney.
I learned today that I am very close to Ueno and Asakusa both historical places in Tokyo. The flier says Ueno became famous shortly after the establishment of Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo in 1603. It has beautiful park with many Cherry Blossoms. One of the guest here said she was there yesterday and the trees are in full bloom.
I plan to visit these places tomorrow. I will be able to discrib them better after my visit.
Aloha, Joanne
I promised to tell you about the students,but forgot.
Gosh,I did not realize how long it has been since I posted the last blog.
Sandra Lee computer went down and I thought I wrote a blog on the computer in the student center,but it probably did not go through.
The three weeks in China went fast. I loved talking with the students. Every meal I went there so I could converse with the students. They were prohibited from speaking Chinese. "English Only" signs were everywhere. Because of this policy many students who had graduated from Chinese universities had come to Gateway Language School. One such student said that she majored in English and was able to pass all her exams,but felt she was not able to communicate well enough in English.
The range of student ages were from 17 to 40. Many had graduated from universities in business administration,engineering,human resource,import export,etc. and already had been working in their respective fields. At the table we frequently discussed Asian and Western styles of thinking and doing things.
Besides learning grammer frequently they read the words of popular western songs and sang them to improve their pronounciation. They watched Western movies.
I learned much about what Chinese students thought about. I quit eating every meal in the dining room because I was eating too much. I love eating and enjoy Chinese food. However, I continued to sit with them at almost every meal. Many attended my hula and Qi Gong sessions at night. They were very impressed that at 77 years old I could travel alone around the world. They were also impressed that I could play ping pong at my age and do line dancing with them.
When not with the students Sandra saw to it that I had a chance to see the beautiful West Lake area and enjoy relaxing in some of their lovely Tea houses and Chinese foods I had never tasted before. I was very surprised when we ate in a small restaurant which served food from Northern China. Not only was the food very different featuring lamb and bread like in Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan but some of the customers and the owner looked more European and less Asian looking.
One day we went on a boatride down the canal. The canal was started in early A.D. by one of the Emperors. It runs from Beijing and ends at Hanghou. We went under many old and beautifully built bridges. The canal was lined with willow trees. Their lacy light new green leaves hanging gracefully down near the edge and looked so beautiful.
I also experienced Chinese foot massage not just once but several times. They first soak your feet in warm water and give you a shoulder massage before working on your legs and feet. Wow!!! after one of those you can sleep like a log.
I also did a lot of walking around to see the old places and the new developing areas. There seem to be constant construction not only near where the school is located but just everywhere. The streams and waterways appear highly polluted. I saw people washing vegetables in these polluted water. Ugh!!!
Although Sandra is paid only 600 in Chinese money she no longer worries about it. She is able to get along quite well. Lodging and food is provided and costs of living is so much less that she is able to save enough to travel all over China.
Here in China at Gateway Language School Sandra Lee has found a family. Having white hair and given the respect afforded to the elderly according to their standards she commands respect from the younger Chinese on the staff. They watch out for her and take good care of her. She is also able to visit her family in Hawaii and US almost every year. She just completed her first book of her 7 years in China. It is being published now. She hopes to write a second one. She loves living in China. She finds it unpredictable and very exciting.
Sandra Lee computer went down and I thought I wrote a blog on the computer in the student center,but it probably did not go through.
The three weeks in China went fast. I loved talking with the students. Every meal I went there so I could converse with the students. They were prohibited from speaking Chinese. "English Only" signs were everywhere. Because of this policy many students who had graduated from Chinese universities had come to Gateway Language School. One such student said that she majored in English and was able to pass all her exams,but felt she was not able to communicate well enough in English.
The range of student ages were from 17 to 40. Many had graduated from universities in business administration,engineering,human resource,import export,etc. and already had been working in their respective fields. At the table we frequently discussed Asian and Western styles of thinking and doing things.
Besides learning grammer frequently they read the words of popular western songs and sang them to improve their pronounciation. They watched Western movies.
I learned much about what Chinese students thought about. I quit eating every meal in the dining room because I was eating too much. I love eating and enjoy Chinese food. However, I continued to sit with them at almost every meal. Many attended my hula and Qi Gong sessions at night. They were very impressed that at 77 years old I could travel alone around the world. They were also impressed that I could play ping pong at my age and do line dancing with them.
When not with the students Sandra saw to it that I had a chance to see the beautiful West Lake area and enjoy relaxing in some of their lovely Tea houses and Chinese foods I had never tasted before. I was very surprised when we ate in a small restaurant which served food from Northern China. Not only was the food very different featuring lamb and bread like in Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan but some of the customers and the owner looked more European and less Asian looking.
One day we went on a boatride down the canal. The canal was started in early A.D. by one of the Emperors. It runs from Beijing and ends at Hanghou. We went under many old and beautifully built bridges. The canal was lined with willow trees. Their lacy light new green leaves hanging gracefully down near the edge and looked so beautiful.
I also experienced Chinese foot massage not just once but several times. They first soak your feet in warm water and give you a shoulder massage before working on your legs and feet. Wow!!! after one of those you can sleep like a log.
I also did a lot of walking around to see the old places and the new developing areas. There seem to be constant construction not only near where the school is located but just everywhere. The streams and waterways appear highly polluted. I saw people washing vegetables in these polluted water. Ugh!!!
Although Sandra is paid only 600 in Chinese money she no longer worries about it. She is able to get along quite well. Lodging and food is provided and costs of living is so much less that she is able to save enough to travel all over China.
Here in China at Gateway Language School Sandra Lee has found a family. Having white hair and given the respect afforded to the elderly according to their standards she commands respect from the younger Chinese on the staff. They watch out for her and take good care of her. She is also able to visit her family in Hawaii and US almost every year. She just completed her first book of her 7 years in China. It is being published now. She hopes to write a second one. She loves living in China. She finds it unpredictable and very exciting.
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