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Alright! Time to pull my finger out and do some writing...
Sorry it's been so long, but things have been a real rollercoaster for awhile. I've also been daunted by the sheer volume of pics to download, sort out and post here. I think in order to make things manageable, I'll have to break things down into more reasonably sized chunks, especially when I get to my recent trip to Kyoto - I must have taken more than 200 photos, and I doubt you want to see them all, but if you have the time, post a comment and let me know if you do, or just the highlights.
First of all, I'd just like to say it was great to catch up with everyone, wander round the old haunts and see that not too much has changed in my abscence. A huge thanks to Rob and Kaoru for letting me crash at their place while they were over here, and I'm glad I had the chance to return the favour when I got back.
Work was a bit crazy in the lead up to the holidays. We had to break our normal month-long sessions into two weeks each in December and January, and just hope we could pick up where we left off. It was pretty much head-down until the last Friday, then a big Xmas party at a local izakaya followed by karaoke, a day to recover and pack, and then a very early morning on the Sunday to catch my flight. I packed light this time, to leave room for bringing some real winter gear back (in fact, despite the crimes against fashion perpetrated by countless people due to his invention, right now I would gladly shake the hand of Sir Thomas Ugg - if he weren't mouldering in a paddock somewhere...), so lugging the suitcase around wasn't so bad, and actually, it was a rather nice early-morning ride on the Shinkansen to Osaka, and not a bad connection to Kansai airport, although the queues there were a bit of a nightmare. The flight, as well, was not too bad. I must admit, Vietnam Airlines is not nearly as dodgy as you might expect. The only sour note was a rather bumpy emergency landing in Da Nang - I'm guessing that someone underestimated fuel requirements or there was a hell of a headwind or something - but it was a chance to see Da Nang, if only from the air. The airport there was a bit spooky, too, since, apart from a relatively modern terminal building, the rest of the place looks much the same as I expect it had 40 years ago...
Anyway, after a few hours stopover in Ho Chi Minh, I was on my way again, and, I must say, rather well-fed the whole way. I wish I had some pictures from the flight, but, of course, being on a plane means keeping the mobile turned off. Luckily, on this leg, I had a whole row of seats to myself, which meant I could stretch out and grab a couple hours of fitful sleep on the way. Mum and Dad were there to pick me up, and after a brief stop to enjoy my first real cappuccino in over nine months and shed some layers of winter clothing, I was home again.
I won't go into the blow-by-blow, since most of you reading this were there and know already, so time for some piccies and highlights. First up, one thing that has changed a lot is the garden at my parents' place, which has taken on a much more jungle-like feel...
It's great to see that all the effort that went into this garden has paid off. Anyway, after some unpacking and settling in, it was off to the city for something else I had done without for nine months...
Steak! Specifically, steak night at the Flodge...
And a merry time was had by all!
Speaking of merry, Xmas was coming up, which made for some interesting evening walks around Mt. Annan.
People in this area were going nuts, and several shops specialising in Xmas gear had sprung up and no doubt had grown fat on the fever of one-up-manship going on out there. First prize for "Most Garish" goes to...
And, of course, there's always one...
Towards the day itself, we made a trip to Wollongong to visit my sister and to say hello to someone else I hadn't seen for too long...
Unfortunately, I couldn't do much more than that. It seems that either Fergus has forgotten me, or he was having some kind of revenge for me taking off on him, because he spent the whole time hiding.
A family picnic in the bush near the 'Gong...
And some local wildlife.
And then it was New Year's Eve...
Takoyaki anyone? We had a great little BBQ at Ian and Kanako's place, just across from Sydney Park, where we could watch the fireworks going at 4 different sites across the city. I was surprised at how short the show was, though, after seeing fireworks here that regularly go for 2 hours, they managed to pack the same amount into 15 minutes! It was great to see Jason and Paula for their brief visit, too, before they head off to Switzerland.
A day-trip to the Blue Mountains around Katoomba...
And another day-trip to rainforest gardens near Wollongong...
Which had a massive fig tree...
And some more local wildlife...
And then, of course, the beach.
Alas, there are no pictures of the Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, but then in Sydney, I'm not a tourist. What I miss most are not the places, but the people - my family and friends - so keep in touch, guys.
I'm gonna post this now, before I get all misty-eyed... Cheers, everyone, for making it a great holiday!
Sorry it's been so long, but things have been a real rollercoaster for awhile. I've also been daunted by the sheer volume of pics to download, sort out and post here. I think in order to make things manageable, I'll have to break things down into more reasonably sized chunks, especially when I get to my recent trip to Kyoto - I must have taken more than 200 photos, and I doubt you want to see them all, but if you have the time, post a comment and let me know if you do, or just the highlights.
First of all, I'd just like to say it was great to catch up with everyone, wander round the old haunts and see that not too much has changed in my abscence. A huge thanks to Rob and Kaoru for letting me crash at their place while they were over here, and I'm glad I had the chance to return the favour when I got back.
Work was a bit crazy in the lead up to the holidays. We had to break our normal month-long sessions into two weeks each in December and January, and just hope we could pick up where we left off. It was pretty much head-down until the last Friday, then a big Xmas party at a local izakaya followed by karaoke, a day to recover and pack, and then a very early morning on the Sunday to catch my flight. I packed light this time, to leave room for bringing some real winter gear back (in fact, despite the crimes against fashion perpetrated by countless people due to his invention, right now I would gladly shake the hand of Sir Thomas Ugg - if he weren't mouldering in a paddock somewhere...), so lugging the suitcase around wasn't so bad, and actually, it was a rather nice early-morning ride on the Shinkansen to Osaka, and not a bad connection to Kansai airport, although the queues there were a bit of a nightmare. The flight, as well, was not too bad. I must admit, Vietnam Airlines is not nearly as dodgy as you might expect. The only sour note was a rather bumpy emergency landing in Da Nang - I'm guessing that someone underestimated fuel requirements or there was a hell of a headwind or something - but it was a chance to see Da Nang, if only from the air. The airport there was a bit spooky, too, since, apart from a relatively modern terminal building, the rest of the place looks much the same as I expect it had 40 years ago...
Anyway, after a few hours stopover in Ho Chi Minh, I was on my way again, and, I must say, rather well-fed the whole way. I wish I had some pictures from the flight, but, of course, being on a plane means keeping the mobile turned off. Luckily, on this leg, I had a whole row of seats to myself, which meant I could stretch out and grab a couple hours of fitful sleep on the way. Mum and Dad were there to pick me up, and after a brief stop to enjoy my first real cappuccino in over nine months and shed some layers of winter clothing, I was home again.
I won't go into the blow-by-blow, since most of you reading this were there and know already, so time for some piccies and highlights. First up, one thing that has changed a lot is the garden at my parents' place, which has taken on a much more jungle-like feel...
It's great to see that all the effort that went into this garden has paid off. Anyway, after some unpacking and settling in, it was off to the city for something else I had done without for nine months...
Steak! Specifically, steak night at the Flodge...
And a merry time was had by all!
Speaking of merry, Xmas was coming up, which made for some interesting evening walks around Mt. Annan.
People in this area were going nuts, and several shops specialising in Xmas gear had sprung up and no doubt had grown fat on the fever of one-up-manship going on out there. First prize for "Most Garish" goes to...
And, of course, there's always one...
Towards the day itself, we made a trip to Wollongong to visit my sister and to say hello to someone else I hadn't seen for too long...
Unfortunately, I couldn't do much more than that. It seems that either Fergus has forgotten me, or he was having some kind of revenge for me taking off on him, because he spent the whole time hiding.
A family picnic in the bush near the 'Gong...
And some local wildlife.
And then it was New Year's Eve...
Takoyaki anyone? We had a great little BBQ at Ian and Kanako's place, just across from Sydney Park, where we could watch the fireworks going at 4 different sites across the city. I was surprised at how short the show was, though, after seeing fireworks here that regularly go for 2 hours, they managed to pack the same amount into 15 minutes! It was great to see Jason and Paula for their brief visit, too, before they head off to Switzerland.
A day-trip to the Blue Mountains around Katoomba...
And another day-trip to rainforest gardens near Wollongong...
Which had a massive fig tree...
And some more local wildlife...
And then, of course, the beach.
Alas, there are no pictures of the Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, but then in Sydney, I'm not a tourist. What I miss most are not the places, but the people - my family and friends - so keep in touch, guys.
I'm gonna post this now, before I get all misty-eyed... Cheers, everyone, for making it a great holiday!
posted by Ia Ftaghn at 6:26 pm
4 Comments:
Good pics, though your camera seems to have dropped resolution when you came to Australia (a region thing?). Or because beer was cheaper out here...
Hope
best,
Leon
It's just because most of them were taken at night or dark places...
Hey glad to see you're back around. Ever considered a flickr album?
Hmmm..looks like Google has done it for me. I'll see if there's a link here somewhere...
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