Garden

Soo, its only been 5 months since our last update but thought we would go ahead and do another one anyway :-)

In the garden tonight - Fred said that 6 Chilli plants was too many and bossing the spinich around so in the interest of building the spinich's self esteeme we culled 2 of the chili plants.
AND GOT 1 KG of CHILLI's OFF THEM!




Crazy.



Almost tempted to agree with Fred that 6 plants was too many.
Now... what to do with them....

Some more pics of our Urban Produce Patch

Spinich on this end with the surviving chilli plants next door




Basil, Beetroot and chillis





Leeks with crazy tomatoes behind (and over, and through)




Broccoli and the resident population of white fly


Carrots - finally at a decent size to eat!





Corn - better late than never



Grapes



And our 1 baby watermelon



Feeling full of green fingers and fums here. Loads of fun.

Now must go deal with those chillies...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

Last day in Japan

7.47am fast train to Kyoto, again, seen off from the train station and then had Dalton waiting for me in Kyoto!

Went to their batch where they had a study meeting, then shared lunch with Dalton and Dan before heading back to the train and jumping on another one for Tokyo to get my flight!

Just 1 flight to go before home :-)

Had a great time here in Japan with its obsession with order, love of uniforms, unstable looking power lines, slow buses and fast trains, naked public bathing and interesting way of dressing.
Its a strange country - but I think I could spend a lot more time here.

Next stop. Aotearoa


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo

Hiroshima

Joyce came and saw me safely on the train and on my way to Hiroshima the next morning - Thanks :-)




so shincansen'ed my way down to Hiroshima where I was met at the train by Verdun! - defiantly the royal treatment :-)

We headed to Tadako San's place for the study meeting



They had a go at lifting my pack after the meeting - and one of them even tried it on, sounded like a pack of teenages giggling away :-)





I dropped the average age by a few years!
Stayed for lunch/dinner and then stayed for the next to nights! Japanese hospitality is hard to refuse!

After chatting until late (with the help of google translate!) Verdun met us the next morning to visit the Hiroshima Peace Park Museum. Prior to leaving Tadako San told me a little of her family's experience with the atomic bomb and that 30 members of her family died at that time.
Can be easy to think of it as just an event in time but it is still very real for lots of people here, including Tadako San.

The visit to the museum, and viewing some of the footage/images of that time was quite powerful with her right next to me.

8:15- the time the bomb detonated



Before




After




A young boy who was killed's trike and helmut




Tadako San pointing to where she was when the bomb went off.



Memorial - where the names of the victims are reccorded, including Tadako's Mother, Sister and Brother





Went out to lunch with another lady from the morning meeting




She makes Kimono as a job and invited us back to her work space to try one on!






Also got a quick lesson in origami







Then headed for a walk in town before having dinner together as well.
Main shopping street




I think it's hard to beat the hospitality of the people in Japan - had a great time in Hiroshima.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hiroshima, Japan

Kyoto

Just incase you were wondering, the night bus isn't the most comfortable way to travel.

Off the bus and Dan, Dalton and I hunted around for somewhere that was open to grab a bite to eat. After consulting with my two helpful guides we headed to a local hotel (in the pouring rain!) to hop onto a bus tour for the day.

Visited most of the tourist spots, great way to see things when your short on time.

Stop 1 - Nijo-jo Castle



Stop 2 - Golden Temple




Stop 3 - Kyoto Imperial Palace





Stop 4 -




Stop 5 - Sunjusungen-do temple



Stop 6 - Pure Water Temple Kiyomizu-dera





Walk up to Pure Water Temple





Tea time Ekonomiake



After dinner with Dalton, Dan and Elizabeth (one of the local friends with a Kiwi connection) I jumped (or was put) on the train for Osaka to spend the night with Joyce there. Great to see her again after meeting in Tokyo.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kyoto, Japan

Tokyo Japan

Arrived safe and sound in Japan after the 10 1/2 hour flight from Frankfurt, sorted out a phone card and some mobile data and then headed out into the big wide world of Tokyo.

Made my way to where the special meetings are held in Tokyo at a massive youth centre and hung out until the morning meeting finished and people emerged. Nice to sit in the sun for a few minutes and catch my breath!

Dalton sorted out a room for me which was great so a quick refresh then off to the afternoon meeting. About 40 people there, met a family from Australia/Canada and a few of the Japanese friends afterwards.

Evening was free so Dalton suggested visiting the famous Meiji shrine which is right next to the youth centre - but entry closed in 8 minutes. Dalton, Verdun and I made the mad dash across the centre and around to the temple entrance (talk about run!) and just made it in the gate which was closing, with Japanese efficiency, exactly on time.

Was worth the exertion though, incredible gardens and lovely wide walking paths leading to a massive temple - we were even lucky enough to see a Shinto wedding taking place!

Entrance to shrine



Wedding


Went for a walk down the Champ Elesse of Tokyo and had a coffee before heading back to the centre for a sing and to hear from 2 workers who had returned from a visit to Malaysia.

By this time I had been awake for over 30 hours and was feeling like a shower and a sleep - which led to my next adventure.
My first Japanese bath. Hmmm. Bit of a shock to the system. Enough said.

Next day Verdun, Dalton, Dan and I made our way to the bus station before I headed off on my own little adventure around Tokyo ending with a massage at the Hyatt Regency. As you do.

Largest Sumo Stadium in Japan



Didn't see any real Sumo so got a photo of these man mountains instead.



Tokyo Skytree



Glow in the dark jellyfish at the aquarium in the sky tree complex




Hopped on a night bus to get down to Kyoto.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tokyo

Roadie (4,5&6)

Day 4 - Black Forest
Kept Karlsrehu as our base but went for a dirve in the Black forest today. Headed down the highway for a couple of hours to the lovely little town of Tittasie where we stopped for lunch. Talk about clocks trev!





Clocks. and more clocks.



Lunchie, MEAT and POTATOES


Duckduckduck




After that we headed back up through the Black Forest - lovely drive with a stop for coffee at the top

Schwarzwaldhochstrasse - Black forest high road


Oliver



Sebbie with a truck just the right size!




Back to Karlsrehu where Hamish came around for tea and yarns
mmmm, steak!



Day 5 - Heidelberg
After a morning of shopping in Karlsruhe we headed up a little town just out of Heidelberg - we wondered why it was so hard to find accommodation in the area, turns out we chose the weekend that the final of the German touring car champs were being held 1 town over. Good one.

dumped our gear and headed in for sight seeing in Heidelberg. Cobbled streets, funky shops, lovely big river, castle on the hill. Everything you could want in a tourist city. Amazing place to relax and wonder around.
Had a perfect Autumn day for it as well

Wheres Lechelle?






Lechelle and Ollie :-)


Just to prove I really was there








Hamish and Charlton both came that night and we had a bit of a Kiwi catch up.

Day 6 - All over rover.
Packed up and off for breakfast in Mannheim the next morning before a mad dash to get my pack and onto the train bound for Frankfurt and the first leg of my journey home.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Black Forest/ Karlsrehu/ Heidelberg