A post for Friday

First off I would like to apologies for the use of the font for my last post. Some of you may have noticed that the font has now been charged from "noteworthy" - the font for the iPad notes app - to something somewhat lest awful.  I am surprised by my lack of an update over the past four days but my days have been so full and I have keir to chat to in the evenings that I have not found the time to write. 
I am writing to you now as I sit on a Japanese built train. It will take me to Kyoto from Tokyo in two and a half hours - I believe this is a slow service. Because I believe that you can get from Hiroshima to Tokyo in four hours. 
 Ill run you through some of the highlights of the last four days:


Friday


I had to go to Tokyo station to pick exchange my Japanese Rail pass and book my first journey. on my way to the station I walked passed the Hibiya park which had a flower show in it. There was a competition for growing flowers in interesting arrangements. Tokyo station is a big clasical buildingm as you approach the main entrance to the station you get slowed down as so many people have stopped to take a photo. There were at least eighty people all standing around and taking photos. 
After getting my JR pass I walked over to Ginza as I had not had lunch yet I decided to have a very late lunch/ early dinner - is was 5pm at this point. I found a little eatery which was tucked into the curve of a bridge underpass. It meant that the tables at the back you couldn't stand and could only sit because the roof was so low. The plans was full of business men that were having a drink and something to eat with a friend after work  All the food was served on skewers and  was eaten with a beer or a glass of soda and spirit. It was lovely to sit a eat, when I'm back in Tokyo ill invite Keir to come and we can eat, drink and chat together.  That night I made a late dinner for Keir and I ( keir didn't get back from work until  9:30 pm) and we eat diner and watch anime and the IT crowd.

First impressions

Yesterday a hade a lovely first day in Japan. It is so great to be able to experience another country with its different food, architecture, consumes, language. I am I jogging myself very much. 
Here is a run down of way I got up to yesterday: Keir-The friend that I'm staying with - lives is Minato so yesterday I went for a walk to eat breakfast/lunch so went for a wander to see what I could find. As I walked all that was going through my head was that I was in a movie set and that at some point I would turn a corner as see the supports holding up the cardboard facades and a directors chair. The streets here are narrow and walking and bike riding seam to be the main form of transport in the quiet suburban streets. The area I am staying in is lovely although Keir says this is a particularly beautiful suburb. I found a vegetarian cafe to have breakfast in - I know not traditional at all but I really didn't  feel like eating meat  or trying to explain that I don't eat meat. The people were lovely and let me just sit there and people watch. I then wandered up the road and found my way to Riponi hills a big complex including a shopping centre with the standard restaurants, shops, cinema ect but also a garden, a museum of art, office buildings and the grand Hyatt. It is some what of a maze with dead ends and shoppes tucked away waiting to be stumbled apon ( although the shoppes are very expensive so people that shops there probably know where they are). I then took a walk to the National Art CenterTokyo the building is designed by Kiurokawa Kisho ( there are some photos on Flikr). The exhibition I sore was called Given Forms and showed art work by a painter- Tatsuno Toeko and photographer - Shibata Toshio. Toshio liked taking photos of dams and bridges for their geometric patterns. As the sun set its light played on the glass facard of the art centre casting a soft light through the building it was a stunning sight. As I waited for keir to take his dinner break I went back to Rippongi hills and found a toy shop to pay in and also the Lego store. i was able to while away a casual 45 minute by building Lego and playing with other toys. ( Stirling there was a second world war biplane, and for Elizabeth there was a red Volkswagen kombi van.)  At the toy shop they had a section for sand pit exsesories and they had a Archimedes screw which I though was particularly cool. 

Keir and I went out for dinner and had the most yummy crispy noodles. In a tiny restaurant that was below street level in a cellar. They only served one dish but you got to choose what type of noodles it was on. After dinner we went and got drinks from the convenience store and went for a walk ( In Tokyo you are allowed to consume alcohol on the streets ). Even though it was ten at night Keir had to go back to work and I wondered back to his flat to read and sleep. 

Safe and sound and somewhat tired.

After on car ride, two flights, one fast train and two Tokyo metro trains I arrived in the middle of Tokyo late last night. I am staying with a friend Keir in Minamizabu in the city/shire of Minato in a flat that is the height of japan's minimalisem. one coradoor with a cupboard/wardrobe and a induction stove top. the stove tops are quite neat- using electromagnetic induction to heat up a pot instead of heat transfer, this means low use of energy, quick control of temperature and the "element" doesn't get super hot only the mettle pot. The rest of the flat consists  of one living/bed room  and a tiny aroplain like bathroom. There is also a sun filled balcony that promises to have a lovely potplant garden. keir and I went and had dinner at 10pm in Ripongi and ate tsukemen - Raman that you dip in a think broth.  It was yummy but reminded me that eating in japan is going it be an adventure in itself as my kangi is not good anough to translate menues/vending machines. 

Talking about food I'm off to get brunch and go exploring. 


A.B. 

Introduction

After a near four year hiatus is it my pleasure to bring this travel blog back from the deeps of the Internet. Today being the antepenultimate day before im off, it is  a socks-are-important-to-pack and an oh-thats-right-i-need-to-pack-my-passport kind of aday. While I get all the bits and bobs that I need washed, charged and ready to be packed. 

More from me in a day or two,

Acushla. 

P.S.  I have put some photos up from my trip to Sydney on Flickr there should be a link to my account on the right hand side of this page. I was thinking of uploading my photos on Flickr instead of Facebook, so hopefully ou can find them. 

hi all,
now back in thailand arfter an amazing week in lao. it was fantastic! we stayed in luang probang and did small day trips out to waterfalls and kiaking. i got to ride an eliphant which was way cool. it was heeps of fun.
the people in lao are realy nice and the city as so clean! quite rare for a south east asian town.
i talked to little monks (or as dad likes to say monklets) over the wall of there tempel. they are realy just boys still , boys in safron.
a part from that did alot of wanderring around the night market and probably exeded my buget.
ran in to Judy (caeydan's mother from my high school) by chance and spent a day with her and her friend Jenny at the waterfalls.

we got a plain to chiang mai today and i am now looking at doing a three day treak in the hills.
love acushla

just a quik note to say...

... That we are well and in Cambodia.
we were in phnon phen for a coupple of days. visiting the killing filds and s21 prison. i was horified to lern about the genocide that hapend only 15 years befor i was born. another thing that made it so bad was that prior to coming to cambodia i had never hered of the monstrosity. i could tell you about the battel of hastings and the roman empire but arsk me what was hapening on my side of the world only three decades ago and i have no idear. it is shoking.

today we went to the royal palie and had a look around it was cool to know that it was only built lesss then 100 years ago. when england was fighting the germans , cambodia was building a beautiful exotic pales.
we then got a six hour bus to siem reep, from where we will be exploring the tempels of Ankor wat for the next coupple of days.

yesterday we went to a fantastic resteront for lunch. to was called Friends and is a traning resterant set up by a organisation to help street kids in phnom phen. all the starf are either teachers or students and the student are street kids. it is a great idear. the meals are a little pricy but all the profets go to the organisation to help all there progects around cambodia. it is great!
got to go and get some sleep!!!
love Acushla

Greatings from bangkok!

"hi" says a very jet laged Acushla as she sits operset her perents onm teh computer. arfter two plain flights. a 6 houre london to ciro then a 8 houre ciro bankok cush is quit tired. but so exited to be seeing her perents agen.!
and is ready for an adventure in south east asia.
she has to go as the time is running out.
she send her love to all the family and frends across the world.