Feel like I have been grounded! Haven't been able to travel anywhere as I have been healing and attending follow up appointments from my surgery.
This whole experience has shown me that I am far from a patient person! Was told how long the healing process would be and what to expect, and it has been pretty much as described, and yet I find myself frustrated - did I expect that I would be special?! Have been living with the mantra of "4-7 weeks, 4-7 weeks, 4-7 weeks" - this is the time period that I was told it would take before I really started to see results with my vision. Trying not to get ahead of the healing and not be frustrated or feel regret for getting it done... I'm sure in a few months I will be gushing that this was the best thing I have ever done :)
Had the surgery on June 1st, follow up appointment the next day, and then 3 days later to remove the protective contacts - that was a bit of a shock as my vision went really cloudy and it felt like I had sand dumped in my eyes. Eye drops have been my friend, to keep my eyes moist and help the healing process. The cornea is loaded with nerve endings and they control the amount of tears produced to keep your eyes moist (separate from your tear ducts), and because these are damaged during the surgery, your eyes end of very dry as they heal.
For the first few weeks it took awhile to open my eyes in the morning as they were very sensitive to the light and if I opened them too quickly it felt like I had ripped cells off my eye (which I pretty much had - is this getting too graphic for some?!). So it took a 10-15 minutes and lots of drops to get them going in the AM. Usually had to rest mid day. Not sure how somebody working would go back on a computer as it was too bright and very tiring trying to read. Print is still not clear and I have to take time to write things. I use the zoom in function a lot.
Have some good days where things seem more clear, and then the next day could be worse - all par for the course I am told (ARGH!). Still can't drive a car.
Have my next appointment on July 10th, and am interested to see the changes over the next couple of weeks. Reading is still tough so am borrowing large print books from the library! Initially I was listening to audio books, and had found a fabulous site online with old radio shows - love the old mystery shows! They were perfect to keep me busy.
Got to spend one of the longest visits with my parents that I have had in years, and helped them move into their cottage for the summer. It's on Hamilton Island between Cornwall and Lancaster - with a gorgeous view west up the St. Lawrence. It's great to sit and watch storms blow in, or the sun set and turn the clouds brilliant colours. And enjoying some time at Scott's cottage in Ipperwash on Lake Huron - we often don't get up here much in the summer, so this is a treat. Love walking the beach and getting to visit with the Bergey clan. Felt a little stressed, and perhaps "guilty" that I wasn't running off to some exotic place, but moving at a slower pace for awhile and being at the cottages has been a treat, so maybe good that I have been grounded.
Hoping to head off somewhere in late July or August...

My latest "adventure" may not seem as exotic as I am still in Toronto, but it is certainly exciting for me... I had laser eye surgery on Monday June 1st.

I had started thinking about this some years back, but was always too scared to get it done - who goes in for elective surgery on their eyes?! But over the past few years I have been meeting more and more people who have had it done, and have been thrilled with the results. I seriously started asking questions, and then began to research online. I chose 3 clinics to visit in Toronto and completed the initial assessment at all of them (very thorough eye exams), asking my list of questions (I can see my friends smiling who know I like to do my research and know the details). All of these clinics had been recommended by people who had had the procedure done. I decided on the Herzig Eye Institute - certainly not the cheapest (I'm not shopping for a bargain on my eyes after all!) but was most impressed with their service and care, and follow up. As well, I found out that many hospitals and doctors refer their patients to Herzig for cataract and other eye surgeries. Several months went by, and I finally decided i just had to book the appointment and go for it... There were several days in the previous week that I was ready to call up and cancel! The Internet can be a good thing for research, but it also can provide "too much" information - depending on what I read each day, my mood and resolve would change. Scott kept me committed (though he had his doubts as well).

My uncorrected vision was -7.25 and -6.75, plus an additional correction for an astigmatism in both eyes. For people who don't have poor vision - without my glasses and contacts all I saw was blurs of colour, no distinct shapes of any sort - in other words I couldn't do anything without my glasses.

Due to the shape of my eyes, prescription and corneal thickness I could not have the typical Lasik surgery that involves the corneal flap, but was a candidate for PRK (photorefractive keractectomy). The results will likely give me sharper vision then somebody doing Lasik, but will require a much longer and more "uncomfortable" healing process (nobody uses the word painful :)

Monday arrived and I was much calmer then I expected. The whole time at the clinic took about 2 hours, but the actual procedure was about 15-20 minutes. I arrived and read the release forms (of course!) and then sat down with somebody to go over any questions I still had. Then I was offered a massage to help relax a bit - that was a nice touch. There were several tests carried out prior to the surgery to update the initial assessment - these tests included a repeat of the Pentacam maps of my corneas, measurements of pupil size and corneal thickness, and a Wavescan measurement to allow for a more precise laser surgery. I was then offered Valium, which I took - not big on drugs but taking the edge off would help. I then sat in a waiting room - not realizing that they had sat me across from the surgery where I could watch on a monitor the current surgeries. There were 2 people ahead of me, they were both Lasik - it was actually fascinating to watch and not at all gruesome. Somebody came to explain the post-op kit to me that includes all sorts of drops and medication, etc.

Once in the room they get you settled and wrap you in a warm blanket, the room is kept chilled for a controlled environment for the laser. They wash your eye with several drops - a series of about 4 or 5, dousing your eyes. The procedure was completely painless. They operate on one eye at a time, holding the eye open with a device (ever seen Clockwork Orange?!). They tell you to stare at the red dot all the time. For PRK a thin layer of epithelium cells on the cornea are removed (you can see them scraping them off, but can't feel it) so the laser can reshape your cornea. It too 39 seconds on one eye, 41 seconds on the other. The procedure finished with my eyes being washed with a very cold liquid. Some people say they can smell burning during the procedure - I did not as they had a small fan and suction. I was then lead to a waiting room to sit for a few minutes.

Scott came in at that time and was standing across the room and asked how many fingers he was holding up - I said 4, and started to cry! Guess it was all the anxiety of the day, but it was also being able to see it, really see it! Now the problem with PRK recovery is that is gets worse before it gets better...

The doctor checked me out and I was free to go. I now live in 2 hour increments as I have to put lots of different drops in my eyes (5 different types) at different times. I had a follow up appointment the next day (Tuesday) and am to go back in on Thursday, to hopefully have the protective contact removed (part of PRK). They give you very dark sunglasses which I wear most of the time (picture Yoko Ono or Posh Spice), and at night you have to wear these stick on bubbles that make you look like an alien - it's all pretty glamorous!

The first 2 days I wasn't allowed to read, watch TV or go on the computer - still can't do any of it today as my vision isn't clear enough and I am very sensitive to light (I am typing this in 2-3 minute increments, and can't look at the screen!). The first 2 days were OK, eyes felt mild burning sensation (like you've been in a pool too long) and felt like there was sand in them which was irritating. Also felt very tired to have them open - would put the pain at 3 to 4 out of 10. Knowing it was going to get worse... but still surprised when I woke up last night in the middle of the night with severe burning and irritation (up to a 7 out of 10) - had to take my first pain killer to get through the night. Today my eyes are even more sensitive to light and I am sitting mostly in the dark doing nothing...boring! I can see (which is still bloody amazing) but nothing is sharp - it's like looking through a haze or underwater. Know this is part of the process but hoping to see improvements each day...

We're home safe and sound from Portugal and Spain - after cycling about 600 km. We did have quite a challenge getting our bikes on the train from Beja to Lisbon - finally confirming that Portugal is not set up for cycling. We have been spoiled in other countries, particularly France and Germany. We had checked the web site and been told that if we disassembled and bagged up our bikes we could put them on the train - the day we showed up the ticket agent tried to tell us the bikes couldn't go on! Thankfully the guys on the train were much more accommodating. But the whole process was challenging. We had a last day in Lisbon - went back to a Napalese place for food, we are so spoiled in Canada with the ethnic diversity we enjoy, particularly in food - we needed something else for our tastebuds! The temperatures were so different - Beja was 30 degrees, Lisbon was only 22 on the coast. We had definitely cycled into the hotzone. Up on Friday at 4:45 to get to the airport. Flew from Lisbon to Portugal to Frankfurt, then decided to chance the flight to Ottawa as it looked better then Toronto - we just squeezed on. Then jogged for the 5pm flight out to Toronto. Home and doing laundry by 7pm.

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money, then take half the cloths and twice the money. - Susan Heller

This couldn't be more true - especially when you're on a bike! BUT never travel without a book - I hadn't brought one, to save on space and weight and was regretting it - we picked up some at a used book store.

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow - Lin Yutang.

So true!! Going to stay in town for a bit (at least long enough to do some research for my next adventure...). Scott is off to the cottage to do some art.

Here's the link for the pictures from our cycling through Portugal and Spain - enjoy!

Pictures Cycling Portugal & Spain

The internet cafe is a dying breed in Europe... most people have their own computers here so places provide wi-fi access, but very few places have computers to use - which explains long gaps in my writing. Not that we would want to be lugging a computer with us on the bikes. We have been averaging about 60 km per day, with one long day of over 80 km as we pulled into a little town made over by the 198th anniversary (reenactment) of a famous battle, which caused us to push on (into a headwind no less).
Our route has taken us from Lisbon - Setubal - Vendas Novas - Evora - (Arraiolos) Estremoz - Elvas - (crossed into Spain) Badajoz - Merida - Valverde de Leganes - (back into Portugal) Mourao - Moura (where we are today). We plan to go onto to Serpa and then Beja (nice easy 30km days to wrap up), and take a train back to Libon to end our trip and fly out by the 22nd.
Cycling has been much nicer as we got away from the busy areas and onto nice country roads. Friendly people in little villages want to find out where we are from and what we are doing cycling - not seen here a lot. Lots of good coffee on the way (gellau in Portugal, cafe con leche in Spain) in little cafes and bars. Vineyards and olive groves for miles and miles with rolling hills beyond (and we have made peace with many of those hills! There is no flat area in this area of Portugal). Golden wheat fields, silvery olives, dark green grape vines, fields of purple wild flowers, white daisies, fragrant yellow bushes, purple lilac, and fields of bright red poppies (one of my favourites). Lots of song birds. People honking and waving to cheer us on - which surprisingly does help (just dont do it close behind!). Very hot sun at times, but still breezy and very cool nights - this area is arrid and on the edge of desert - weve seen very few rivers. Enjoying good food, cheap red wine and strong coffee - one good thing about cycling so much we enjoy the consuming and yet seem to be losing lots of weight! We have stayed in everything from roadside truck stop type accomodations to grand old hotels with high ceilings and tiled walls - its pretty quiet here right now so we have seen few other tourists - may be why we are geting lots of attention. People have helped us all over find places to stay.
We have been in bars watching football (soccer games) and lots of bullfighting going on right now - it is the kick off to the season and it is huge here - while I do not like the brutality of the fighting, and the Spanish fights show the kill - I can appreciate it for its grace and bravado - and I love it when the bull gets his due...several of the fighters have been gored and sent to hospital - one for the bulls! Very dramatic and exciting - without any injury the evening just doesnt seem complete for the audiences. Portuguese fights are very different and involve more action on horseback and men throwing themselves on the bull - not the traditional style we would moist be familiar with - most fights are braodcasting from Madrid.
Off to explore Moura - its castles and and cafes!

A ship is safe in harbour, but
thats not what ships are for. - William Shed

Buenos Dias - we crossed the border into Spain today and found out where all the sunshine is kept! Suddenly there are cycling paths everywhere, cafes, etc. And the fashion savvy picks up dramatically! Amazing the difference between cultures. We went from Evora to Elvas, which was another lovely walled city. We stayed in a cozy hotel by the aquaduct, and spent time wandering the cobbled city and castles. Elvas has the most well preserved military developments from the Moors (8th century) and the early europeans (through the 15th C) - it is less then 15 km from the Spanish border, so it has seen some action. The people in the little villages we cycle thorugh are so friendly and helpful and like to try and find out about us as we pass through. We are really liking being in Spain and will ikely spend some days cycling through the countryside here. Have to run, tapas to eat, museums to see!

Day late, but hard to keep track of a calendar... HAPPY MOTHERs DAY - to my mum (love you lots), and Joanne, and all my friends and family reading this who are mothers... I have the greatest admiration for all of you (and awe for what you do everyday when I can barely manage myself... and a bit of happy-felt envy)
Another grey day, but we will be staying in Evora to take a break and explore the town, hope to get out to ride along the aqquaduct if the weather cooperates.
Cycling hasnt been all bad (OK Im mellowing or just forgetting...) - people regularly honked and waved to gave us encouragement... we did see some very pretty countryside... and people have certainly tried to be helpful getting us back on track - but you can tell they arent used to cyclists when they give you directions onto a major highway (think 401 around Kingston!).
Last evening was lovely, though cold. We saw some beautiful churches and roman ruins. One had peacocks sitting all over it which really added to the overall impression of grandeur (though for birds that arent supposed to fly Im still not sure how they got up to the top arches).

I have not sought during my life to
amass wealth and to adorn my body, buut I have sought to adorn my soul with the jewels of wisdom, patience, and above all with a love of liberty
- Socrates

OK...so I am willing to give everything a second and third try... definately what is needed in the case of cycling in Portugal. I think our mistake was trying to cycle out of Lisbon- we should have grabbed a train east or south to get us out of the populated area. We should have known when we saw only 3 cyclists the whole time we were in Lisbon that its not popular for a reason! We took a ferry across to the peninsula just south of Lisbon and started to head down the coast - what we learned is that small quiet roads dont go anywhere...which had us back on busy highways. We ended the night at Setebal, amd with all of our winding and getting lost we did over 60km on what was supposed to be oureassy start day! Portugal is all hills - ALL hills! Long slow never ending hills - which all seem to go up and never down! Our second day we got stuck in a small town with one hotel - a 4 star very expensive hotel! Wierd... Today we cycled in hours of rain... but we must have been imagining it because we were told it never rains here and if it does it just spits for a bit (this was constant blowing rain). Anyway we are in Evora and it is lovely so it may win us back...

Three days into cycling and if you asked my opinion about cycling in Portugal, I would say DONT DO IT!!!!!
OK, lets back up a bit...
We spent our last day in the Lisbon area in Sintra. We took the regional train, which took about 45 minutes. Lovely little town with lots of palaces, pretty parks (with lots of song birds), winding cobbled streets, castles on hills, etc. You could spend days in the area exploring. We hiked up to the castle ruin, 1200 metres straight up! Great fun being able to run around the walls, in NA they would have this all cordoned off for safety, here its go at your own risk. Fabulous views into the hills and valleys.
Will write more about our cycling adventures later as we are going to grab the little bit of sunshine of today and explore Evora...

Guess I came out here to see
some stuff for myself... I mean, why leave the telling up to everybody else? -
Ani DiFranco

Lisbon is like a contradiction to Japan! It is loud, dirty, gritty, old and aged in areas, no-glitz, etc - and it is all part of its charm! The Portugese are so full of life and love of people and food. It is so different from our life, people grow up in the same neighbourhood and all know each other. We have just been enjoying the simple time of getting lost in winding streets, sitting in cafes and pastry shops to enjoy a good coffee, wandering in parks to enjoy the shade from the unseasonable heat, and eating some wonderful meals in tiny, simple restaurants. No agenda, no special plans. We did go up the hill to see the castle, it has some spectacular views of the city. We have been exploring all sorts of neighbourhoods on subway, buses, trams and mostly by foot (boy, do you feel the cobblestones by the end of the end of the day!). Off to get lost again and discover another great place to eat...
Any suggestions from anybody for places to see in the south of Portugal - we will be riding out towards Setebal to start, then along the west coast, to the south (avoiding Faro, etc), and then up into the central/east area, back across to Lisbon... Suggestions and favourites welcome!!

Bom Dia! Hello from Lisbon, Portugal! Pretty crazy...we have now almost travelled around the globe, but doing it the long way by doubling back on ourselves! We got on a flight from Toronto on Sunday night at 5:30pm, it was pretty tight - again, think the flu may have worked in our favour so we could get on. Did a change in Frankfurt to fly to Lisbon - Frankfurt is one of the longest terminals - we must have walked over 3 km to get to our gate - they are all in a straight line. Pretty tired as our body clocks are now completely off, I have no idea what time I am on!
The plan is to spend until Friday here in Lisboa and then get on some bikes and spend 2 weeks cycling through Portugal. Off to bed, even though it is 6:30pm here, we can't stay awake another minute. Due to our strange travelling habits and using credit cards in 3 cities/countries/continents within 72 hours, Scott's card got shut down - all good now and fixed :)

Here's the link for the photos. Click on details to see my notes or watch as a slideshow. Enjoy!

Japan photos

I am a new day rising

I'm a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight

I am a little divided

Do I stay or run away, and leave it all behind

- Foofighters

Back in Toronto, and totally messed up for time! Scott was able to sleep on the plane, I couldn't. So he was up until 3AM, then I got up and he went to bed - feels like we are on shifts!

Ladies - if you want to travel somewhere alone, Japan is the place to do it. Have never felt to so safe. And it is easy to get around and everybody is so helpful. There are also special rooms at hotels for women, as well as cars on trains, seats in buses, booths in internets, etc. Unfortunately it is based on old customs in Japan, but it can work to your advantage if you are travelling alone.

We tried to find bikes to rent in Osaka but no luck so we picked up day passes for the subway - more simple system like Toronto vs Tokyo's amazing one. We were seeing the city on April 29th, Showa Day (the birthday of Emperor Showa), it is part of the Golden Week holidays - a full week of holidays that carry into first week of May. The downtown was deserted. Walked through the Tennoji park area, where the zoo, gardens and museums are located - but all behind high walls and fences - the first time we had seen this in Japan. Weaved through Tomeji Nanasaka, seven slopes of the Uemachi plateau, takes you through residential areas, temples and shrines. Jumped over to the Osaka-jo (castle). You get a great view from the 8th floor of the tower, across the city, then visit the museum as you work your way down to the ground. Famous for a collection of painted screens depicting battles from the Civil War era (1400s and 1500s) - the era of samurai and ninjas.

Then a quick walk through the Kita business area, typical downtown, but they have made the walkway along the canal very nice. Osaka used to be filled with canals (referred to as the Venice of the East), but most are filled in. Went by the National Museum of Art, a beautiful modern building of twisted metal that looks somewhat like a sail (or bunny ears from another angle, but that just doesn't seem as romantic!). Not interested in the collection showing, but spent some time in the book shop and library. The galleries tend to have great collections of books that you can sit down and look at, and members can borrow.

Out to the Bay area, a modern amusement type area and developed water front. Famous for the enormous Tempozan Harbour ferris wheel - 112m high and 100m across. While not the largest in the world, it is among the top 5. There is also a new aquarium (Kaiyukan) housed in a blue and red building, shaped like a butterfly, and covered with mosaics of fish; and a modern art museum, Suntory Museum Temporan, housed in a modern new building. Scott and I spilt up here - he went to the museum and I went to the aquarium. While the aquarium is expensive (2000 yen) it was worth every penny! You wind down several levels, past 14 huge tanks, depicting different aquatic environments from around the globe in the "Ring of Life" (Japan Forest, Aleutian Islands, Monterey Bay, Gulf of Panama, Ecuador Rain Forest, Antarctica, Tasman Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Pacific Ocean, Seto Inland Sea, Kelp Forest, Coast of Chile, Cook Strait and Japan Deeps). It was fascinating. Saw otters, sea otters, seals, sloths, penguins, dolphins, all sorts of exotic fish, whale sharks, manta rays, octopi, sea turtles, giant spider crabs and jelly fish - just to name a few. I'm such a geek! Scott didn't have a great experience at the museum/gallery - the collection he was hoping to see was not available (we weren't having much luck with galleries in Japan), but they gave him his money back when he mentioned what he came to see. He ended up in a local bar "chatting" with some locals (he speaks no Japanese, and they spoke only a dozen words of English)! I met up with him and we spent some time getting to know the people - lots of laughing as we worked to understand and be understood. The one  guy kept buying Scott some Schochu (think rice whisky), and his glass was never empty - he was pretty happy! They ended up trading hats by the end of the evening.

We took a bus back to Tokyo, about 8 hours - stopping at least 3 times for stretch breaks and food. Lots of green tea plantation on the south side of the island. We stayed out by the airport in Narita.

Some advantages and disadvantages to the current "swine flu" - the plane was initially oversold by 60 seats - we got on, so many people must have cancelled - but we were delayed 3 hours as the Japanese did a thorough check of all passengers before letting them deplane. So home by 7PM May 1st - we have gained a day, but I sot here at 5AM Toronto time writing...

Watch for picture link coming soon...

Time for catch up... Kyoto is an amazing city and would be the one I would recommend visiting if you could choose only one. It has hundreds (literally) of temples and shrines, great culture, very funky and trendy neighbourhood spot, great shopping for those inclined! Rent a bike... Japan is super bike friendly - you would think with millions of people, crazy traffic, etc it would be difficult - but the drivers are so polite for pedestrians and bikers. And everybody just works around everybody else. No one ever rings a bell, they just wait for a space. A bike made getting around Kyoto so much easier - we covered most of the East side and the centre. We had taken a train to Kyoto and as mentioned the ticketing is confusing. The ticketing agent, conductor and food trolley people never left the car without turning to bow and say thank you - like the rituals and manners. Farms are very small in Japan, with every inch covered. In the areas where farms overlap with cities every spare inch is filled with rice paddies or green tea fields - picture a rice paddy next to your local McDs! The hills are so green, lots of flowing trees and bushes right now, waterfalls and valleys. Simple homes to elaborate ones. Once in Kyoto we went to the Nichiki food market, filled with hundreds of food stalls and shops - shops here are so beautifully displayed and the service is immediate and polite. The shops draw you in with the displays, colours, sampling and smells. Walked through the rowdy Taramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades with shopping, gaming and restaurants. We had dinner at a funky American style diner with Asian influence - was neat to see how they put it together. Lots of magazines to flip through. Japan enjoys making things look pleasing to the eye - magazines are beautiful to look at, many focus on lifestyle, culture and arts. Walked through Ponotochi (remember Memories of a Geisha) and Gion. There are still geiko (what geisha are called in Kyoto) and meiko (apprentices) here. Thanks to the internet the numbers are on the rise - there are even a few meiko writing blogs which are attracting young girls to join - love when modern world meets ancient times. We went to an internet cafe for a bit, we finally figured out they are typically in the comic book places - so you can rent time to read and watch anime and manga. There are small cubicle rooms all set up with headphones, gaming paraphernalia, etc. There are drinks every where as they are included in your fee. Some people must really camp out here.
Went to several temples and shrines - I will share more when I post my pictures. But it was a great day, some rain mid way through but most good weather. Lots of old sections of town, and often at shrines where we were the only people, others more crowded. We were stopped at one by a group of Japanese school kids so they could practice their English, they introduced themselves, welcomed us to Kyoto and told us something special about the city. The teacher took our pictures as well. They gave us gifts of papers they had prepared. Japan is very much a gift giving culture, and you can see it with all the shopping, and whenever you buy something it is wrapped. We ended the day at the Imperial Palace riding through the park - very well used, lots of people out playing tennis and baseball.
The next day we took a Regional commuter train to Osaka, many people commute the hour from Kyoto. Stayed in the Namba area. The people in Osaka are incredibly friendly and want to please you so much. We found out that is somebody gives you directions and they were wrong they will come after you - we had it happen a few times! One man jogged a couple of blocks to get to us when he realized he may have given us the wrong directions. Went through the Shinsaibashisuji shopping area, and up the old Hozenji-Yokocho alley where we had dinner in a tiny restaurant with barely enough room for 10 people to sit along a bench. The food in Japan has been excellent. Then walked through the Minami Samba and Horie neighbourhoods - think very funky, Queen street type area with lots of neat shops, and very well dressed young people hanging out. Found the best bookstore that sold books and every bit of kitsch you could think of - we could have spent hours poking around.
Have to run - will have to write more about Osaka and our trip back through Tokyo later...

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read
only a page - St Augustine

Takayama was a wonderful city to visit. We arrived at the bus station and walked down a few streets checking prices at hotels. We got a night at the Country Hotel for 7000 yen. We went and walked through the old Edo merchant streets - beautiful wood buildings where the merchants lived, now litle shops and many are still homes. This city was famous for carpenters, who buildt many of the palaces and large houses of the elite. We had dinner in a little restaurant where we sat on tatami mats - they were nice enough to bring Scott a backrest as he was finding sitting crosslegged hard. He tried 3 types of Saki made in the area - 5 year old (at room temp), young (chilled) and unfiltered (a milky white). Unfortunately with the rain we had to move on. Kanazawa was a city filled with museums and culture - there is a beautiful new Modern Art museum, a large glass building - but it was just setting up the next exhibit, so we couldn:t go in, but we were able to walk around and see some of the works being installed. There was also a great library of art and design books and magazines that we spent some time looking at. We stumbled on a street festival going on outside the museum, with dancing groups performing traditional and modern numbers. We also wandered through the streets where the samurai used to live - many are still large private homes. We had tea in a traditional tea house - very strong matcha tea with a cherry blossom cake. The following morining we had hoped to go to the gardens, which are among the top 3 in Japan - being stuborn we tried but it was so cold, windy and wet we couldnt stay long. We took the train to Kyoto - quiet the confusing system for buying tickets - if you come, buy a pass, otherwise there is a 2 layer system of ticketing that makes it very expensive to travel on the train. We booked an inexpensive hotel through the information centre at the huge, modern station - Court Hotel Shinto for 5200 yen. We walked around the area, and went into the Geisha neighbourhood at night, with all the red laterns and ryokan (traditional guesthouses) and restaurants. Interesting being in these streets, like being back in time - then you walk out into the modern, bright streets of the rest of Kyoto. Like this city, smaller, simpler then Tokyo. Off to explore!

Very heavy raining is chasing us out of the mountains to the coast to Kanazawa. Will hopefully be better there.

Konichiwa! So we never made it to Australia because the Vancouver flights were so full that we would never have a chance to get there. Unfortunate because the flights to Oz out of Vancouver were wide open. We looked at the board to see if we could hop a plane somewhere interesting but most required visas. We returned on the 20th to get on a plane at 1pm to fly to Tokyo. We arrived on 21st at 3:30pm 15 hours later (Japan is ahead 13 hours, so basically flip the day to night. We spent until the 24th in Tokyo and then took a bus to Takayama in the mountains.
Impressions and thoughts of Japan - amazing culture. No litter or grafitti anywhere. Spotless streets. They make everything look pretty, even overpasses, garbages, etc. Dont allow smoking while walking, but can smoke in restaurants and bars - so less about health and more about cleanliness. People all wear masks to keep away from germs. Super friendly, very helpful, willing to work at miming and picture drawing if that is what it takes to understand each other. Run everywhere to serve you faster. Despite waves of people on the street and in subways, nobody ever gets upset, no horns honking, drivers let people in, nobody jostles you. It is so orderly. Obsessed with anime, cartoons, gaming and technology - picture 5 and 7 storey buildings filled with stores selling these items. Despite the technology - almost impossible to find an internet cafe, all must have at home. Everybody has a cell phone, but you never hear them ring, almost everybody is texting and never talk on the phone. Not allowed to read newspapers on the subway because it takes up too much space. Rude to blow your nose, but OK to sniff continuously. Lots of thanks yous and bowing, rituals and politeness - money is never handed to people, it is put in a tray to carry out a transaction. Beautiful buildings and architecture. Bright lights everywhere. Huge relaxing parks filled with cherry blossoms (we are here right in season). Museums, galleries, temples, shrines, theatres - filled with culture and history. Trains and subways are exactly on schedule. Everybody takes their jobs very seriously and shows a lot pride regardless of what they do. The quietest place filled with millions of people! The one place with noise is the gaming and slot machine centres - which operate at an ear-splitting level - so contradictory to the rest of life here. Fascinating! If it wasnt so expensive I would tell everybody to jump on a plane and travel here.
We picked up 2-day passes for the metro, it was a great system for getting around - plenty of English signs to get around. We covered so many different neighbourhoods - will share them through photos when I return.
Was challenging to arrange a bus to Takayama - the train is definately the method of travel preferred here, unlike in Argentina where the bus ruled. But we caught a bus this morning at 9AM (we are still getting up at 3AM) and took a 5.5hour trip into the mountains to a village filled with ancient Edo buildings - a completely different pace here, it is like the world has slowed and alomost stopped. We will be here for another day and then plan to take a bus to the coast and then perhaps on to Kyoto before retruning to Tokyo. More when I get the chance...

Failed attempt #1... the flight to Vancouver was overbooked and there were about 60 people waiting on standby - some had been waiting through 4 flights! Home to figure out Plan B.
People have been asking - the best pina colada? The Barranchia bar in old San Juan was better then the Hilton (but I think a little restaurant Casa Dante was the best). The hotel was busy with many areas closed down for a film shoot with Johnny Depp, but no sightings.

Great holiday with Tamara, I'm really glad we had the chance to have a week to hang out and talk -
she's such a great lady!

Scott and I are working on our plans for our first trip - and we are off to Sydney Australia later on tonight!

Just enough time to do laundry and repack.

Link below is for a few pictures from Puerto Rico.
You can click on details if you want to read some of my ramblings, or use the slideshow function. Enjoy!

Puerto Rico photos

To unpathed waters, undreamed shores - William Shakespeare

Yesterday was a great day of adventures. We drove up to El Yunque (say it with me, in a great latin american deep voice "El j-yunque") and spent time on some trails and enjoying the peace and quiet. The only rain forest in the US. It is home of the "coqui" the small PR frog that has a lovely 2-note chirp; and the Puerto Rican green parrot - very rare only about 45 left in the wild. We then drove into Farjida to join a kayak tour into Laguna Grande to experience the bioluminescent microorganisms in the bay - when you distrub the water in any way it glows like a green fire, or comet tail, or glow sticks in the dark (we were kayaking in the dark). It was amazing! When you dip your hand in the water it sparkles, thanks to clusters of hundreds of the organisms. It is so difficult to describe, has to be experienced. Even more amazing when fish swim by under water, as they create patterns. Supposedly its incredible in a rainstorm. We were like kids playing in the water. The stars overhead were also amazing, as it was pitch black. Kayaking back in the pitch black through a mangrove was quite an experience as well, when you can barely see the boat in front of you. Highlight of the trip!
Today we took a ferry over to the other side of the bay in San Juan to visit the Bacardi factory - an interesting information centre with lots of information, and free samples - Tam enjoyed my extras! (Graeme, sorry can't carry any on board - we wanted to get you the Special Reserve, aged 12 years and only available in PR...too bad). Then we had lunch at a great little find of a restaurant in Old San Juan - finally an affordable and tasty place - St Germain Bistro & Cafe (Sol and Cruz). Got caught in a major rainstorm and were soaked. Back out now to go to the Hilton and try the pina colada so we can compare in the "war".

Going to have to figure out how to get some pictures on here during my travels vs always having to wait until home to load up.
Today was a great day - we rented a car from a local agency "Afro Car rental" across the street from our hotel. We drove off to Ponce in the south. Amazing change in geography, topography and weather as we travelled the 90 minutes - went through rain forest, mountains and arid hills, then back into an area that looked like a never-ending garden. The town is a great little town of very old colonial buildings - some falling down and some being built back up. I love the old and decrepit beauty of a place like this (this you will have to wait and see in pictures). Then we headed off to an old coffee plantation - we arrived in time for the last tour of the day which should have been in Spanish, but the guide did an amazing job of juggling both languages.
Had dinner at a popular local place and tried Mofongo - smashed plantain mixed with veggies, etc. Could have used some hot sauce or something to make it a bit more punchy.
So remind me to tell you about the guy watching "adult entertainment" in the internet cafe - full blast, no cares in the world...and it wasn't until 2 guys complained that the employees gave him a headset - have to love the hot-blooded latin americans :)
Teresa - wish I could be around but we are likely flying out on the plane you come in on - what a shame, would have been fun to hang on the beach. Try the pina colada at the Hilton and then compare to the Barranchia bar downtown - there is a famous "war" going on as to where it was invented and which one is best (we still have to try the Hilton's).

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!! One day late, but I was thinking of myself (and all of you) when I was enjoying my day in Old San Juan yesterday :)

It was a gorgeous day, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, with beautiful breezes off the ocean. We wandered the streets lined with brightly-coloured, colonial-styled houses - reminded me a lot of New Orleans. We explored the El Morro - the fort out at the promentory, 6 levels high and covering several football fields - the spaniards were serious about protecting the island! If you stay off the cruiseline/touristy track there are some neat little shops. People are very friendly and helpful here (we get lost a lot :)

Today was spent checking out the Contemporary Art gallery, the market area and the Belles Artes gallery. Loved the name of the cafe we found for lunch - Bla Bla

We made it OK to San Juan - actually it was a great trip. We zoomed through security, and actually had assigned seats even before we went through. So the plane was pretty open. We even got upgraded to the front - what a treat to start off our holidays! The crew was great, very friendly. When we first pushed back there was a technical problem, but thankfully they were able to fix it quickly. Once at the airport it was super quick to get a taxi, they set you up with a car and tell you how much you will be paying. $18 including tip. There was a mix up in that they wrote down Miramar (the area we are staying in) and the driver thought we were going to hotel Miramar. After a little re-routing we ended up at Olympi Court Hotel. What a gem! All updated, big rooms, super clean, with kitchenette, 2 full beds - all for only $85 including all taxes (usually there is a 13% tax and $5 per person charge for electricity). The man at the front was super helpful. We have now walked over the bridge to the beach area - very Miami. Cars all lined up cruising. Art deco buildings. Kids jumping off bridges and walls into the water. Little beaches dotted along. Lots of new building mixed in with old ones being taken down - an area changing all the time.

Spent my first week off getting lots of errands done, including getting my travel shots and medications all up-to-date so am ready for anything now (except perhaps Japanese encephalitis but I just won't go near pigs in remote villages ;) Also needed a bit of time to let go of work - that is taking a little longer then I thought it would, hard to turn off after so many years. I realized I have been working non-stop (even during school/university) since I was 16 years old. (Except for a period due to a car accident, but that I'm not counting). Not counting all the various odds and ends, babysitting, etc I did prior - but being on a payroll for 25+ years... That thought finally made me let go - and start to enjoy every moment of this break.

My first trip is with my niece Tamara - we're going to run off together for a girls' week before she has to start hanging out with the oncology gang again. I offered her the world - "where do you want to go"... only to find out I couldn't take her there - ARGH! Didn't realize I couldn't take family on other airlines standby - Scott could take her, but I can't. Then there were so many places that I could get us into, but couldn't guarantee I could get us home... not such a bad thought being stranded in Chile or Hawaii, but we both have places to be. Wanting a place with culture and history, warm weather, new to both of us - this was getting challenging! Finally landed on Puerto Rico - throw in a rain forest and some beaches... and I think we have met our criteria! We leave Sunday at 10:30AM if all goes well - I'm just worried my karma has taken a turn for the worst - think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts...

So it is official...I'm off work. Odd, it hasn't quiet sunk in yet! My company offers a great benefit - after 10 years of service, employees can take an unpaid break from work, called a "coffee break" - fitting for a coffee company! Kohvipaus is coffee break in Estonian - like the idea of the pause...time will go by so quickly it will seem like a momentary pause.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
Live the life you have imagined - Henry David Thoreau