Cairns, like Cannes, but not French

This year was the first year that I have ever missed Christmas with my family, and it was extremely difficult.  My brother decided that he wouldn't be home and my mom decided to head to Ecuador, so I made the decision to do something big for my two-week break.  Since it's summer in the southern hemisphere, I decided to fly down to Australia.  I left from school on a Friday night and flew out that same evening.  I didn't arrive in Australia until about 5 am and had to drop my bags off before heading to dive school at 8 am.  I figured that I was going to jam pack as much into this trip as possible.  Cairns was my first stop and my favorite of the three Australian cities that I visited.  While I was based out of here for the entire first week, I lived on a live aboard ship for 4 of those days.  I can't say that I lived in up while actually in Cairns, but I did walk around a bit.  I walked down to the boardwalk and the beach area where I found this swimming lagoon.  It is a huge pool area that is patrolled by life guards for the general public.  It was absolutely beautiful!

Here is another view of the lagoon.  It was right on the beach front, so it might have been filled with salt water, but it was still awesome!  Plenty of people were hanging out here.  These pictures were on my first day there, and it was a bit cloudy, but it cleared up every other day.  The weather was great.  It was about 90 degrees every day and not too humid.  There were some times that it rained, but Cairns is right on the ocean side of some mountains, so that is pretty typical.  It actually reminded me of Manoa Valley, Hawaii.  

This was just another view of the park.  You can see the row of buildings in the background.  That was the last row before this park and the beach.  There were all sorts of restaurants, hotels, and cute places to explore near this area.  Cairns itself is rather small with a population near 150,000.  It's pretty young too, since it was founded in 1876.  

I thought these fish in the lagoon were pretty cool.  They looked like the bamboo or straw fish and they were actually water fountains for the kids to play under.  It was interesting to take this vacation because it was the first time that I had ever travelled alone.  I have to say that it wasn't my favorite thing to do, especially since I am so social.  I did manage, though.  I walked around town a lot and browsed.  I can't say that it's something that I want to do again, so hopefully I meet some fun people who like to travel too.  

In the park are these grills.  Everyone there was using them to make their lunch.  I just thought that they were so nice compared to the nasty ones that are in the States.  No one seemed to mistreat them or abuse them either.  And, let me tell you, the food smelled fabulous!

Next, I walked down to the port.  I loved looking at all the boats.  I am truly a water person and at this point can only fantasize about my own.  Check out this Coast Guard boat.  I'm not really sure what kind of damage or patrolling it can do...and, I would love to see it chase after one of these big boats.  

Another area of the park was set up as a croquet field.  People, children and adults, would get into this ball and travel through the wickets.  It did look like a great time.  

This is the hostel where I stayed.  I tried to research before I came, and was also nervous about staying in a hostel...especially by myself.  There were tons of places to stay in Cairns though, so if it didn't work out, I would have moved to another location.  This one is called Gilligans.  It was really large and very clean.  I was thoroughly impressed with the rooms and facilities.  This whole complex was the hostel.  It had a nightclub in the center on the first floor, where I could literally feel the music until about 5 am each morning.  I didn't mind, I brought earplugs thanks to a tip from my friend Mark.  

Here is one angle of my room.  I stayed in a deluxe room with potentially 3 other roommates.  Each room had a balcony, it's own bathroom, a toilet room, a room with a sink, a refrigerator, and a TV.  The rooms were really nice.  Each floor had a really clean kitchen with large refrigerators and stoves with cooking utensils and each floor also had an area for watching television and browsing the internet.  I only ended up with a few random roomies...the first 2 were a couple from England, the next two were boys from Los Angeles, then I stayed by myself, then there was a girl from Brazil.  They all seemed very nice and made my hostel experience in Cairns a good one.  

Here's another view of the room.  Each night, the hostel had free dinner.  I can't say that it was gourmet, but it was filling.  Let's just say that I had my share of minced meat of any variety while staying here.  It was nice to save money though, I didn't buy a meal while staying in Cairns.  

Like I said, I did 4 days on a ship while here.  I stayed on land at this hostel Saturday and Sunday, on the ship until Thursday, and then back here Thursday and Friday.  Like I mentioned before, there was a nightclub on the first floor of the hostel.  Every person in town came here to hang out...even the locals.  So, here is Alex, who I met on the dive trip.  Everyone wanted to come to Gilligans to drink, because for random times each night, they had drinks 2 for 1...which amounted to 2 beers (local ones I might add) for $5.  That was a steal in Australia.  As you can see, we had lots of fun.  This night happened to be the night we returned from the ship.  

Here I am in the background with Alex's girlfriend, Anna.  She was really fun and I was super pumped to meet new friends.  As I said before, traveling alone for me was extremely difficult.

I was super excited that Gilligans had live music every night with dinner.  So, I would sit outside and eat my minced meat of the day and listen to great music.  For those of you that know me well, I LOVE live music!  So, this made my trip even more fantastic.  Actually, live music is one of the things that I miss most about being back home.  

Finally, I thought that I should share the coaster message that was displayed at Gilligans.  I felt pretty safe and thoroughly enjoyed all the people in Cairns.  There were many Aboriginal people, people from Europe, and some from Australia.  It reminded me of Vegas, because there were very few people in Cairns who were actually from Cairns.  The town had a great hippie and laid back vibe that I found to be completely relaxing.  I totally needed the sun to kiss my skin and the relaxed atmosphere that I found here.

Japanese Festival

For my visitor's last day in Japan, I had heard about a local Japanese Festival that was in Yokosuka.  This meant that I could just drive to base, park, and we could walk around without stressing out on their last day here.  The purpose of the festival was to educate foreigners, specifically Americans, about the history of the Yokosuka area as well as some of the local traditions.  Our first stop were these ladies who handmade mobiles.  They were all little cloth figures, each which had meaning.  They were amazing, but not for sale here, so I'm just going to have to keep my eyes open.  

Next, we were on to the music lessons.  They tried to teach us Japanese Taisyo-Goto, which is considered the Japanese harp.  It really sounded awful, and not just because I was a beginner.  The high pitched twang about drove me to insanity.  It was interesting, because it had strings and buttons to affect the sound by changing notes to sharps and flats.  We wore these super cool fingernail extensions to use like picks.  

Here we are, moving on to our next music lesson on the Shamisen.  It is a three-stringed instrument, similar to a guitar.  The sound is made from the animal skin which is stretched out over the hollow wood, behind the strings.  To play this, we used a guitar pick, as they called it.  I would call it more of an ice scraper.  You can see it in the pictures below.  I have to admit though, I think it was much easier to use than a regular guitar pick.  

After the lessons, I was ready get serious...samurai serious.  All I did was walk in the door of the gym and the men grabbed me up and had me dressed in three seconds flat.  It was a big mistake when they gave me my weapon...I was worried about starting an international incident, but this guy insisted.  

I am fierce!

Next, they roped Latham and Harold into the costumes too.  They look much more the part than I do.  

Now Ruth is getting in on the action...wait...why is it three against one?!

After getting my ninja on, I insisted that we dress up in traditional kimono.  I had been wanting to do this for a really long time, so the fact that we all could do it together, really was special.  They took us into a huge room, where we stripped down in front of everyone.  They start with the traditional cotton undergarments to wrap us up.  They bind us really tight around the waist and breasts, in order to make everything look flat and straight up and down.  In other words, they don't want any curves...especially breasts or hips.  The entire wrap up took about 30 minutes.  There are tons of layers beneath all this beauty.  After the binding, there was an apron type thing, and then a wrap over that.  Finally came the kimono with the obi wrapped around my waist and tied in the back.  

After the women dressed us, they took us to the hair styling station, where it took another half hour.  I was thoroughly impressed with these volunteers who took the time to make all us geijin (foreigners) beautiful.  Honestly, I have never felt so magnificent.  I thought it felt great to be wrapped tightly and to walk demurely.  Now, keep me in that for a couple hours, and I might change my mind.  

I walked out of the dressing area, and many Japanese were stunned.  Apparently, they've never seen a white girl look so good in kimono!  So, I had my five minutes of fame as they were all taking my picture and asking me to pose for them.  They even grabbed me and insisted that I put on the wedding kimono over the top of the one I was wearing.  Boy, it was heavy, but stunning.

Here are the three of us in all our glory.  I was initially worried about the color of my kimono, but in the pictures, we each have one that beautifully compliments our tones.  It was a wonderful experience to share with my Mom and Ruth.  If it didn't take a team of women to help me get dressed in one, I might have actually bought one since I felt so pretty while wearing it.  But, there's no way I could do that on my own...I'm lucky I can get a robe tied correctly.  

Lake Yamanaka and Mt. Fuji

The day after our Tokyo Disney adventure, we were on the road again.  This time headed in a completely different direction.  This would be our last road trip, but also the most relaxed, as we were all incredibly exhausted from the past week's activities.  We headed toward the Tomei Expressway to make our way to Mt. Fuji.  Our plan was to visit the 5th station on the side of the mountain and then head to Hakone or Odawara.  Our first stop at the bottom of Fuji was Lake Yamanaka, which is the biggest of the Fuji five lakes (the lakes at the base of Mt. Fuji).  Lake Yamanaka is also the highest of these lakes and was formed by a previous eruption of Mt. Fuji.  It was not as pretty as usual due to the changing seasons, but I can't wait to come back in spring.  Here are Mom and I at the end of a very questionable dock.  

Every lake in Japan has these little boats...now I just need to find someone who is brave enough to ride in one with me.

And here's the Mother Goose.  I've never seen one this big before.  I think I could take a dinner cruise on this one...I'll have to look into it.  How cute are the Japanese?!

As we were headed through town and up to Fuji, I noticed this Shrine and felt compelled to stop.  This is Fuji Sengen Jinja, which is the spiritual and ancient starting point for the trek up Fuji.  Before stopping, I had no idea, but really this is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I have ever been.  This Shrine is dedicated to the Shinto Goddess of Mt. Fuji.  Since at least the 1300's and possibly before that, this Shrine has been frequented by monks, hikers, locals, and others.  

This Torii gate is over 18 meters tall and is one of the largest gates in Japan.  It is rumored to be rebuilt slightly taller every six decades, but no one can confirm.  Near the top is a sign which reads, Sangoko Daiichizan, which means "the highest mountain among the three countries" (China, India, and Japan).  

Here I am at the entrance to the Shrine.  I could tell it was special before I even entered, as the walk up to the gate was lined with moss covered stone lanterns, just adding to the mystery and spirit of the Shrine.  

This was the center of the compound.  Right outside of these doors were tons of humongous trees.  There is a sacred grove here made up of Goshinboku, or sacred trees.  Only three of the original sacred trees remain and are more than 23 meters around.  These trees serve as protectors of the Shrine and are over 1000 years old.  

Can you see everyone standing next to this one?  This is one of the original sacred trees.  

Here are some of the prayer boards from this Shrine.  Each Shrine or Temple has it's own design.  You buy one and write a wish on the back and hang on the wall, hoping that the God or Goddess of that particular place takes that board as an offering and helps your wish to come true.  This year, I decided (toward the end of our trip) that I was going to collect many different ones and decorate my tree with them.  So, now that I decided that, I will have to go back to many other places to buy the ones that I have missed.  Once this wall fills up, they will take them and burn them as an offering.  

Here I am navigating the open road.  This was a common theme for the majority of our trip...especially because Mom couldn't pronounce the words to most places, which just made me irritable.  Now that I'm not in a stressful situation (such as driving a carload of guests around) I completely understand.  

Here is a roadside view of Mt. Fuji.  Seriously, every time that I see it, I just think it's so beautiful.  It's captivating not only to visitors, but to the locals as well. 

We winded up the roads to the 4th station, which was the highest that we were allowed to drive that particular day.  Here, you can see that we were above the clouds.  It was like a fantasy.  

Here's the sign that tells my elevation.  It was freezing here!

This is me with the summit in the background.  It didn't look real snowy up close, but from far away, the top looks snow covered.  

And this concludes our road trips.  We never did make it to Hakone or to Odawara.  But, we were too tired to care.  We packed in the car and headed home.  This here is a magic shot which includes all of us adults, plus all of their luggage.  Magic, I tell you, Magic!

Tokyo Disney

Not even a full twelve hours after returning back to my house after leaving Nikko, we were on the road again toward Tokyo Disneyland.  I also invited my friend Megan to meet up too.  I was really excited to hang out here, mainly because I thought the rides would be fabulous.  And, who doesn't need a little magic in their lives sometimes.  Here are Ruth, me, Mom, and Megan with the Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland..."I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello.  Goodbye.  I'm late!  I'm late!  I'm late!"

Megan and I at the entrance to Disneyland.  For those of you who don't remember, I randomly met Megan last year when her and her boyfriend were seated next to me at Thanksgiving dinner at the New Sanno.  Being two young teachers and alone here in Japan (her boyfriend lives in Virginia), we decided to start hanging out.  We discovered that we got along really well, so we ended up traveling to Thailand together for spring break.  We had a great time and I'm very glad to be friends.  

 

Here's a window display that I thought was super cute.  Minnie icing her cake...

Here we are riding the Cars ride...or should I say driving it.  It was a mini go cart racetrack.  Needless to say, they didn't go very fast, but we had fun anyway.  

I had to put on my "race face".  Maybe some of you remember it from high school.  

It was interesting that in Japan, the princesses were not so popular.  None of them were walking around taking pictures with little girls dressed up as them.  In fact, I didn't see one little girl dressed as a princess.  The big hits were Mickey and Minnie and other characters, such as the ones from Alice in Wonderland and Jungle Book.  Here I am getting ready to eat some lunch. 

In the line to pick up our food, we spotted this super fan.  She was dressed head to toe in Mickey gear and she had this crazy bag with all the stuffed animals attached to it.  She also had a friend with a similar bag, and I have to say I saw several Mouse fanatics there that day. 

This was the entrance to the Haunted Mansion.  I was kind of disappointed in the rides.  I thought they would be bigger and better, but most were just silly.  I still had a great time, but am ready for some real roller coasters!

I'm just monkeying around with a character from the Jungle Book.

So, maybe it's like this in America, but here there were hundreds of strollers lined up outside of the rides.  They were filled with souvenirs, electronics, valuables, etc.  And, no one bothered them.  This is pretty much how all of Japan is...not just Disney.   

So, Megan and I did a tour of the castle.  Inside, there was an interesting collection of Cinderella figurines and such.  I just didn't understand why they were all so hideous and horrifying.  Really?!  What are they trying to do, scare the kids?  Here's the first one. 

And another one...she's not the only one surprised and horrified at the same time!

Here I am sitting on my throne at the top of the princess' castle.  I think I look like a natural...ready to rule my kingdom.  

So the big thing at Tokyo Disney were these popcorn carts.  They were all over the park and all had different flavored popcorn.  Ones that we saw were chocolate, caramel, curry, and soy sauce.  You had to travel around to find the kind you like and buy the big bucket to hang around your neck.  If you look in later pictures of me and Megan, you will see our popcorn buckets.  Mine was filled with my favorite flavor...curry!

Everyone here had Mouse Fever.  It was actually really cute.  The men and women all dressed up in hats, wearing buckets, and with other Disney gear too.  I thought this girls hair was especially cute.  She even had a Minnie Mouse bow in the front!

All over were hats like these.  This is a couple, a man and woman.  And yes, they are grown.  It is a different world over here.  The couples were all dressed to match in the Mickey attire.  It was super cute to walk around and see the enthusiasm from everyone including the adults!

Mom and company sat still long enough to catch the light parade.  I only saw this one...Prince Charming...too bad he only exists in Disneyland.  I'm still holding out and hoping to meet mine.  

Here we all are at the end of the night after meeting back up together.  Notice my super cute Minnie Mouse hat and my popcorn bucket.

No matter where you are or how old you get...Disneyland is still magical.  Just believe.