Small steps and large leaps

Ten years we've been married. Ten years have B's dirty white and orange Brooks sneakers been walking the streets of the world along with the brown Kathmandu backpack on my back. Ten years ago we had a joyous wedding ceremony and reception, then retreated to the sanctuary of this hotel.
Surely this is worthy of another celebration! A tenth anniversary return to Europe, another stay at this hotel, the Novotel Brighton Beach, in a room overlooking Botany Bay, the city and the airport.

Much has changed since this day ten years ago. No ceremony on Observatory Hill surrounded by friends and family, only the hurried cleaning of a house and completion of work projects. No stretched Rolls Royce limousine to drive us to the hotel, only a bus, then a train, then a packed bus again dropping us a few hundred metres away. And this time we have brought our almost-three-year-old son Alex with us.
The hotel too has changed. Gone the gelato shop at the bottom, the serene Balinese pool and waterfall, the waterslide and, sadly for us this time, the children's playground. Brighton Le Sands seems more rundown, fewer seafood restaurants. In the end it was a choice between a seafood platter at Petar's or one at the hotel restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. We chose the former and waited too long for the privilege of eating. Alex was half asleep by the time we walked the hundred metres back.

But there are still the magnificent views across Botany Bay, watching aircraft take off across the face of Sydney city or out over the water. What better way to put you into the mood to travel?
And so tomorrow we too step on an aircraft to begin our own voyage.

Photos

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The Kamioka mines: from silver to supernovas

Part of the Kamioka zinc mining and smelter complex Just after posting about the Kamioka Railway another photo from that 2006 set piqued my interest. Up there in the mountains the landscape looked blasted not just by winter but by something more. It was the kind of lonely place where you would not expect to find major industry, so this sight was quite surprising. Even more surprising is the history associated with this photo. According to some sources mining and refining of ores in Kamioka dates back to 710 AD and only closed in 2001. Undoubtedly the mine was a major reason for the existence of the Kamioka Railway. Refining of zinc still continues to this day under the parent Mitsui Kenzoku zaibatsu . Gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead were all dug out of the rock here. Unfortunately, the process released cadmium into the river, which, when taken up by the rice that was grown in the river, caused the terrible itai-itai disease - meaning "It hurts! It hurts". Cadm...

Down the Oito Line

Riding the length of the Oito Line from Itoigawa to Shinjuku (well, Matsumoto, really, but you might as well go the whole way) has long been a dream of mine. It suddenly gained urgency when I read that the last length of it between Itoigawa to Minami-Otari would be closed once the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa and Toyama opens by next year. Now, as mentioned last time, B and Alex are among those that would much rather catch the very fast Shinkansen, but in the end she decided to follow me, despite the very early morning. We rode the Hokuetsu Express from Toyama to Itoigawa, completing a little more of that West Coast for me. Though the coastal stretch was short there were some nice views at times. I should like to see more of Itoigawa one day, explore its geology. But now we had to quickly cross over the platform bridge to catch our train to Minami-Otari. To my great delight it was a KiHa 120 railcar, my favourite. I felt a degree of sadness standing up at the front...

Asagaya and heading home

How can I be happy? I am about to return to a country where the toilets have at most two buttons and no seat warmers. But the tickets are booked and there are no cyclones, typhoons or other disasters standing in our way. It's almost time to go back to my first home. First B wants to do some "local shopping". So we catch the Chuo Line up a few stations to Asagaya, a residential area with a number of Shotengai, covered and uncovered arcades leading away from the station and narrow alleys lined with bars. It is an interesting area for a wander around. We are mainly looking, do some shopping for toothbrushes and sweets from Seiyu, a Wal-Mart owned supermarket/minor department store. We skipped breakfast and lunch is ramen and gyoza at a small restaurant near the entrance to the Pearl Centre shotengai. With the help of a staff member, I manage to purchase tickets at a branch of Lawson to the Ghibli Museum for a friend travelling to Japan in May. There are some...

travelling allrite

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