http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ksc/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ksc en-us Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:03:55 +0000 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:03:55 +0000 Photos only now folks but at least something is back... http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-200651.html Clash of the titans The bums are back Hopeless night's sleep floor 7 of the capsule hotel was peopled by drunks power snorers and a chap suffering the long drawn out death rattle of a man dying from terminal flatulence. We were understandably groggy when the unwelcome tones of my alarm clock set us on our autopilot way to the queue for tickets to the annual Aichi Prefecture Grand Sumo Tour http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Aichi/Nagoya/blog-181228.html Hi groupies Little Drummer Boy Cavey tapping away here on the blog. Day 86 of our sellout world tour and we continue to chalk up the venues of Japan with the help of our hightech 'tour bus' the Shinkansen bullet train which rockets us from venue to venue at a few hundred kilometres per hour. I've noted that each town or city we pass through has certain common features 1. A ferris wheel http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Aichi/Nagoya/blog-181223.html Sheer JoyFestive Frolicks in Fukuoka The powers that be have asked me to refrain from making any obvious puns about the name of the city from which this blog entry originates. Fortunately the city has two names so we'll stick to Hakata which is less potentially Fukuokan offensive. When heat and humidity combine I tend to resemble Tony Hart's plastecine pal Morph who would degenerate into http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Fukuoka/blog-181210.html Deafening thunder storms all night mean an suboptimumly overcast visit to Sakurajima Japan's most explosive volcano which skulked shrouded in mist like a London office worker with the flu hiding under a towel sniffing hot Vicks. Trying to take it easy for a change we took a bus tour designed for the Japanese touring mentality which begat 12 minute stops at each site. Our gigglesome guide see http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Kagoshima/blog-181202.html Irsquove read Alex Kerrrsquos ldquoLost Japanrdquo cover to cover today Jeevarsquos recommendation and his cynical take on the concreting over of Japanrsquos cultural heritage has inevitably colored my response especially to the artifical environs of Shirakawago an assembly line of reconstituted thatched dwellings for the satiation of snapping salarymen who wander around in a d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Gifu/Takayama/Hida/blog-180016.html Kicked off with a mooch around the morning market following a more successful breakfast hunt than that of the majestic crane we watched stalking the waters of the Miyagawa River. We sampled weird soy bean sweeties bought puffer fish paper lanterns and got freaked out by creepy local faceless dolls. After a strawberry smoothie we headed out to the Festival Float Exhibit where the fluorescent l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Gifu/Takayama/blog-179879.html We'd been putting it off too long so all sightseeing ground to a halt this afternoon and evening as we finally itinerized Japan and promptly decided we needed at least another week. This is prompted partly by Bro's continuing hinting that he's joining us Down Under 12 days after we're due to arrive and partly by an attempt to catch the biggest Festival of the year in Kyoto. Whether every fligh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Ueno/blog-175277.html Norman Stanley Fletcher clank...We voluntarily incarcerate ourselves a capsulte hotel. I was prisoner 4019 or so said the PJs the super provided. Each inmate surrenders their worldly goods at a tiny locker and crawls into sleeping quarters about the size of an upturned wardrobe. The 13 quid per night is considerably less than a taxi fare back to the 'burbs if you're a drunken salaryman w http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Asakusa/blog-174978.html Words cannot describe... Went up to the viewing platform of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office. View from the 45th floor Meh Tokyo's not a pretty city. Went to the Imperial Palace the only part open to commoners is the East Garden. Looks like the walls of Canterbury. Only new. Verdict meh. Not getting much outta Tokyo I'm ready to leave but the Furlongs wanna persevere. I'm not convin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blog-174962.html Hello all in Blogland Furlong Junior reporting for duty. How have I managed to finally make a longoverdue entry I hear you cry Well Mr Kieron's reluctantly loosened his grip on our online manuscript this feet required more negotiation skills on my part than a Middle East peace envoy interesting change of career Mr Blair so I'll flex my little pinkies and try to entertain you with tales http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Shinjuku/blog-174959.html In Japan you work every hour God or Buddha sends in the employ of the same company for your entire life. You respect your boss fellas back at Henry please take note. In the unlikely event of knocking off work in time to spend some quality time with your wife the walls of your tiny apartment will be too thin to get into heavy petting and you'll have to hot foot it to a love hotel. If t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Shinjuku/blog-174969.html We treated ourselves to a lie in. With no alarm we emerged the floorbound futoned furlongs rose at 9.30. Even your humble omniscient narrator slept in it is Sunday for heaven's sake. Quested for breakfast croissants but had to settle for long life pastries bananas. Further faddling decyphering Tokyo's cryptic metro fares there are actually 3 or 4 competing subway companies before heading http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Harajuku/blog-174956.html The youngest member excuse the pun of our party was subjected to rigorous molestation en route from Beijing to Tokyo today. Had the Chinese security dominatrix been any more thorough the rubber gloves would have been deployed. Another 5am start and even I'm becoming jaded. Taxiplanetrain. We're staying at a lovely minimalist in a Japanese Ikealike sense ryokan Japanese guest house. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Nippori/blog-172565.html Furlongs ejected from bed at 5.45 this morning for our early bus to the Great Wall at Jinshanling some 3 hours and 110km distant. Not for the feint hearted or weak limbed our itinerary had us schlepping up to the wall grinding 10km to the adjacent town often on hands and knees over 45 degree gradients before dismounting via a several hundred meter death slide. We conclude with a double tuck http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Great-Wall-of-China/blog-172567.html Brought the Furlongs up to speed dragged 'em outta bed kicking screaming at 6.45. Actually neither achieved consciousness before 7 but the improvement was noted. The Rough Guide had warned that one needed a plan to tackle sprawling Beijing and with a single ay to absorb the Chinese capital I had devised a demanding itinerary and put on my Commie taskmaster boots. Citizens Furlong Furlong http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/Forbidden-City/blog-172545.html Airports are all starting to look the same. Flight 11 of the trip so far Hong Kong to Beijing 3 hours with China Southern. I'm tuning out the travel days relaxing with my trusty iPod and dozing. Listened to the new Arcade Fire not as good as the old album inevitably Josh Rouse and some cracking Fela Kuti which had been foisted upon me by bro shortly prior to departure. Beijing is shrouded http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-175281.html Undertook an abbreviated noncompliant supplier selection process for excursions to Halong Bay and Sa Pa gave up in the midday heat and followed the Kangaroo Cafe recommendation of Terry and June no Terry Sue too late bah ba ba badah ba ba ba bah bah SHUT UP CAV Thanks to Junior wersquove had the theme tune from Terry June on a loop in our heads for a week. Sought out a pictures http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-166144.html Hu Central Vietnam. Executive summary avoid. Advertised stop at Marble Mt en route from Hoi An to Hue failed to materialize boo. Paused instead at cookie cutter roadside caf and dodged inevitable fake 20 note scam Yacked to nice Aussie gal received further verbal abuse for our abbreviated tour Down Under and its duration relative to NZ. Oz itinerary now officially under review wi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Hue/blog-165771.html Therersquos a statistic the details of which escape me now about the incredible surface area of the largest human organ our skin. Most of mine hurts. I present the following audit The aforementioned Jason accounts for the bloody mess encompassing 3 of my 8 toe pits The moped exhaust burn seared into my right calf appears to be going ganggreenous as a result of my repeated swimming a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-165782.html