travelling allrite

Sweet hearts and dreams bring you a roman. Or so says the cover of the Matsuyama brochure handed to us at the tourist office. What it means, I have no clue. It's been a day of strange things. We squeezed on a subway train to Shin-Osaka station, exchanged our JR Pass vouchers for actual passes and hopped on a Shinkansen Hikari Superexpress to Okayama. It was one of those purple coloured sleek Shinkansens like the one that runs around my desk at home, only this one wasn't N-scale. Okayama is known for its peaches and grapes and we couldn't resist some peach sweets from the gift shop. While waiting for the train to Matsuyama we also found a branch of one of B's favourite clothes shops. When we arrived at our platform we noticed people crowding around the train with their kids. It was colourfully decorated with Anpanman , a very popular Japanese childrens anime television series. Before boarding we also purchased a bento box full of yummy goodies, like wasabi potato salad a...

Hello Osaka, we're back! For once we were fully packed and ready to go when B's brother arrived to give us a lift to the airport. But when I opened the door I was hit by a hyper-excited bundle of brown and cream fluff. Michael had brought Kita (that's Japanese for North and Finnish for jaws) with him. We had taken Kita over to stay with Michael's two Cavalier King Charles spaniels the previous night , but it seemed like forever for our two-year old dog. When Michael dropped us off at Sydney's International Terminal Kita was left staring at us bewildered and hurt that we were leaving him behind. It was heart-wrenching. Only a week poor pup. After yesterday's sunshine the weather was now grey and drizzly. There was only a short queue at the Jetstar check-in counter; the staff were still preparing themselves for the morning rush. B's Malaysian passport took a long time to process. The check-in attendant was not aware that visas were recommended for Malaysians t...

Right now my Mother is somewhere in Europe on her very first trip overseas. Tomorrow B's Mum will fly off to China on a tour of that country's portion of the Silk Road. And on Sunday... we are off to Japan again. I guess it demonstrates that international travel is possible after children! Actually, I never doubted that it was possible. But things will change with the addition of a new member to our household, that is certain. As the high pressure system hovered over Australia, keeping the skies clear and blue, I was feeling the pressure of work and life. I stared up into those skies and dreamed of escape. I built a miniature Japan in my study in the form of a model railway . But I wanted the real thing. The Jetstar birthday sales arrived and I struggled to resist. B, in the early weeks of pregnancy, didn't want to travel, afraid, though there is little risk, of losing that which we had tried so long for. It just felt like the right time to travel, to fly off into those sta...

Finally, I can reveal the reason we won't be going to Europe later this year - we are expecting our first child! It's very exciting for us, but it will undoubtedly change our lives, especially with regards to travel. I still hope to travel with our child; what a wonderful way for them to learn about our world! I feel that I gained hugely from my family's journeys around parts of Australia during my childhood. Visiting historical sites, experiencing natural habitats and activities like fossil hunting and tours of mines and factories taught me more than sitting in a classroom would.

As I journeyed home on Thursday afternoon I watched the 747's fly off into the west. I wanted to be one those planes as they rose into the golden light of the approaching dusk. It now appears increasingly likely that we shall have to cancel our trip to Europe later in the year. We should know in a week. Though lately I have been wracked by the urge to travel, not helped by numerous Jetstar sales to Japan, I admit to not being entirely disappointed by the potential need to cancel. The fact is that I want to travel on a 747 again, not the 777's and the A330's of Korean Air. There is something unique about these ships of the sky. Something that the smaller jets and the even the larger A380 lack that just speaks overseas adventures. Maybe it's the exclusive and hidden area towards the nose where the first class passengers are housed, the similarly hidden area upstairs for the business passengers. As an economy passenger I never have a chance to explore these mysteries. If o...

Another trip to Canberra! Well it is over 6 months since my last flight down there for work and again it was work that called me back. My original intention was to get a lift by car and catch the train back, but a change in meeting times scotched that plan. So last Tuesday it was another day trip by plane. This time I caught the QantasLink Dash8 Q400 turboprop to Canberra and the 737-400 jet on the way back. The flight to Canberra was wonderfully smooth and scenic. I spotted our house, the Alfords Point bridge duplication, ANSTO site and much more below. I had been told that Lake George held water again, but all I saw was a rather large puddle. The flight back was much more dramatic. The Bureau of Meteorology had predicted an afternoon storm for Canberra and they were spot on. I watched it approach the city as I was returning to the airport, hoping that I would escape before it struck. Unfortunately, my plane took off directly towards the storm (against the wind, as is normal) and w...

Somebody finally posted some of Ansett's television ads on YouTube, my favourite ads of all time. The sight of the eagle flying above the clouds, the sothing music of Enya's Storms in Africa in the background and the final roar of the aircraft as it lifts off always inspired me to fly. I like the background music of the Jetstar ads as well.