Time for a day trip out of the big city. Kamakura, just an hour from Tokyo, and situated on Sagami Bay, this ancient town houses more than 60 religious buildings, temples, and shrines and was a breeding ground for Zen Buddhism. Kamakura was chosen as the capital by Yoritomo, who was appointed shogun and established the Kamakura shogunate which lasted…
Category: An Epic Adventure
May 2: Amazing Tokyo
I’ve mastered the Tokyo subway system. Or not really. But I did get us to two museums, a shrine and back to the hotel without one wrong turn. Still haven’t figured out all the signage in the stations, because so many of them link to other lines that the overhead neon is lit up with strange characters and colors and…
April 30: Sayonara Sydney; May 1: Konnichiwa Tokyo
When you take the time to sort out alternative ways to get to airports it’s amazing how easy it can be. The train from Central Station in Sydney to the International Terminal took all of 10 minutes, and cost a third of what a taxi would’ve. The fact that it was 5:15AM meant it was still dark, but I loved…
April 29: Sydney — the final day in Australia
Oh my. 10 weeks down under, and it all ends tomorrow. (Not all really, just the Australia part. Off to Japan in the morning). I have seen so much, and been so many places that I have to look at my photo stream (or re-read this blog) to recall it all. I’ve met wonderful people, re-connected with others I’ve known…
April 28: Sydney
Since I’ve been to Sydney twice before I’ve seen many of the typical tourist spots, I was so pleased when my lunch dates chose a spot off the beaten path, and at a place I hadn’t been before. David Peattie and Roz Fisher were colleagues from Hasbro, having worked in the company’s Australia business for many years. We set off…
April 27: Newcastle to Sydney
It was time to say farewell to Will and to have a few days in Sydney before leaving Australia. The train is an easy way to avoid the traffic and a long drive so I headed off to Central Station and found my way to my big American chain hotel right on Hyde Park. In my previous visits to Sydney…
April 25 & 26: Leaving Port Douglas and Back to Newcastle
As I began my Australian journey I am now ending it (almost). I arrived here on February 16 and spent time visiting my Camino friend Will, and I returned to his home yesterday, to gather myself (and the stuff I’d sent him over the course of the past several months), before heading off to the next spot on the map.…
April 24: Final day in Port Douglas
Nothing much to report from the day. A good morning run. Breakfast. Read my book on the beach. The nets were back up so you could swim in the designated area without fear of jellyfish stings or crocodile attacks. The water is so much warmer than the Pacific on the west coast of America — 80 degrees — so I…
April 22 & 23: Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef
Saturday was a beach day. It was still windy so a trip out to the reef wasn’t feasible, so I went to my happy place and sat on a chair and read my book and enjoyed the breeze and the waves. The only thing of real interest for the day was watching a full grown man act like a child…
April 20 & 21: Palm Cove and Port Douglas
Thursday was a beach day at last. Sunny, but still very windy. I went for a run and then sat and watched the waves and read a book and had a late afternoon massage. Tough day. Nothing beyond a few beach pics to share so you’ll find some of the awesome birds from the Kuranda bird sanctuary below instead! And…