http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Jo Trouble/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Jo Trouble en-us Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:35:07 UTC Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:35:07 UTC Was bus that just pulled out quick gasp for air going to Shichirui and another I asked the group of 3 that were waiting at the Sakaiminato bus station.No in English one of them says That one leaves from over there in Japanese.I had pulled up in the carpark on the wharf side and thinking the bus was due to leave at 8am I ran only to see a blue and white bus the bus you need to g http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/Oki-Islands/blog-328487.html A darkening sky and regular rain showers was not the start to the long weekend that I was hoping for. Never mind hopefully it will keep a few people at home I thought. The plan was to meet my friend in Matsue and head up the coast to check out beaches and the Tottori Sand Dunes.When pouring rain began to give way to small patches of pale blue we knew we'd made the right decision by pushing on. Af http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Tottori/blog-303411.html 10 short days lots of sun new friends great food lots of traffic onlyinThailand experiences some rain did I mention the trafficThe traffic is probably the first thing to hit your senses in Thailand if not the heat. I think 4 people groceries was the most I saw on one bike kids welcome. The traffic safety campaign award would definitely go to the poster in Patong asking people to http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/blog-274960.html If you see one temple in Chiang Mai make it Doi Suthep I was told.So I took the chance to head up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep about 15 km outside Chiang Mai city with some other Spicythai'ers on the morning of my last full day in Chiang Mai.In 1368 a monk brought a sacred relic he had discovered as the result of a dream to Northern Thailand. The King of the time placed it on the back of a whit http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/blog-274460.html One thing I wanted to do in Thailand was ride an elephant. Most of the options for that also included hiking orchids butterflies and some form of rafting.The butterflies were well disappointing I thought. Not many around and not a lot of colour. But out the door turn left and things picked up. More colours and varieties of orchids than I knew existed note I'm no 'green thumb'.Back into t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Mai/blog-274126.html What would a culinarychallenged person who wasn't a huge fan of spicy food do for a day in ThailandWhy not sign up for a Thai cooking course After all isn't travelling to new countries all about new experiencesOthers staying at Spicythai were signing up for a one day course the day after I arrived in Chiang Mai so I jumped on the wagon and the next morning via a trip to a local food market w http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Mai/blog-272832.html It was raining.Not a light shower but looksliketherainyseasonhasstartedearly type of rain. Guess where I was off to.......yep I had planned a day of island hopping in the sun.All you can do is cross fingers and push on with things.Purely for the sake of ease I had decided to join the tourist horde to check out Ko Phi Phi. Given that I had only one more day in the area and wanted to see http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/South/Ko-Phi-Phi/blog-272436.html Less than 24 hours after touching down at Bangkok I'm lying back in an inflatable sea canoe so we can get through into a hong in Phang Nga Bay. A hong is a sea cave and access into them is very much dependant on the tides. Stay in there too long and you'll be there until the tide changes.My guide Noi as with the other guides in the group does the paddling through into each hong then takes the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/South/Phang-Nga/blog-271537.html Actually there was more than a pot way more. Discovered in 1526 at the peak of its production around the early 17th century one third of the world's silver came from the Iwami mines. Many of the technologies and methods used here spread to other parts of Asia. One of the mine shafts is open to the public the many others are closed off with grates at the entrance. Getting into those would be o http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/blog-267706.html Here it is my last 'Ode To The Snow' blog entry for this winter.Winter has technically been over for at least a couple of weeks now and though a few stubborn piles of white gold can still be seen without venturing out of the neighbourhood I've finally admitted to myself that until next winter there will be no more snowboarding There I've said it it didn't hurt too bad.The end was nigh..... http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/blog-257571.html One overcast Saturday and one outofprefecture friend on an 18odd hour visit. Did I mention the friend doesn't like snowboardingskiing no offense my friend who shall remain nameless for safety reasons my safety Yes I do actually have some nonsnowaholic friends quite a few actually. Whether that's still the case after next winter and my first full season owning a snowboard..........Anyw http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/Matsue/blog-249398.html Same place as the previous entry Adachi Museum of Art this time the snow was in stock. http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/Yasugi/blog-247135.html I don't remember being around the stuff as a kid. Given the effect it seems to have I doubt I would have forgotten had someone given me some of the white powder to try. Should I be concerned that having had a taste of it I enjoyed it enough that I went and bought the tools to enable me to indulge in its use more easily. I mean it's only recreational use. Surely it won't turn out to be that har http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/blog-246534.html Rain..... crowds.......more rain........more crowds. Actually the crowds weren't that bad at all. Even better the good thing at the Adachi Museum of Art is that people almost can't get in the way of 'that shot'. They still managed sometimes they always will but no doubt I got in the way of a few myself. The museum has five outdoor garden areas and a few displays and collections inside. To b http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/Yasugi/blog-244743.html The three short weeks were over but I wasn't ready to go back. It wasn't that I really didn't want to be back in Japan but as it turned out I had missed NZ way way more than I expected. Rushing round catching up with as many friends as possible trying to go back to favourite places had made the time fly. The fact that Auckland's weather had been uncharacteristically reliably brilliant didn't d http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-237599.html I saw a kiwi.Ok that's pretty much the punchline for this one but I saw a kiwi in it's natural habitat. In the zoo and on the other side of a thick pane of glass doesn't count in my book. I just wish I had some photographic proof. Never mind I know.Tiritiri Matangi Island is a 2.2 square kilometre bird sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf. Farmed until 1971 massive replanting and pest eradication http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Tititiri-Matangi-Island/blog-237596.html To be honest when I came to Japan this time knowing it was for at least 2 or 3 years I was undecided on whether or not to make a trip home in between time. But once I had booked the ticket and started to tell people I was coming I got quite excited about being back home and was really looking forward to three weeks of summer which didn't automatically mean it was going to be in the midthirties http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-237595.html Yeah sure that sounds like a good weekend away I thought when the invite email came around. A weekend with friends some I hadn't yet met in person but knew they'd be good company somewhere I hadn't been before I'm always up for that. I checked out the place online the Hattoji International Villa 20 km from a middle of nowhere train staion. Yep that's what you call getting away for a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Okayama/blog-210078.html K333rakuen translates as 'the garden for taking pleasure later'. Apparently it is named after a Chinese proverb which says the emperor should suffer sorrow before his people and pleasure after them'. K333rakuen is rated as one of the top three parks in Japan. I personally disagree with rating everything I prefer my own opinion to the official version . That said it's a nice place and e http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Okayama/blog-210076.html I finally got around to getting over to Oki to visit friends for a lazy quiet weekend......... I thought....... My destination was a two and a half hour slow ferry ride from the mainland Honshu and as with most longer distance 'slow' ferries in Japan the majority of passengers lie down on open carpeted areas grab one of the rectangular shaped spongy 'pillows' pay a few yen to borrow a bl http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Shimane/Oki-Islands/blog-210025.html