travelling allrite

We submitted the application for baby Alex's first passport today. In his passport photo he is just about to cry! Hopefully that won't represent him when he's actually travelling. So far he's been very good in cars, trains and walking. Even survived art galleries ! B also had to submit an application for a visa to Japan. It's a pity they can't just waive it for frequent travellers. It's recommended that Malaysian passport holders obtain a visa, but fortunately it's not necessary for Australians on holiday. I also began learning Japanese again on Sunday with a private tutor. I need to learn the things they don't teach you in standard Japanese textbooks aimed at business travellers. Phrases like "where's the baby changeroom?" and "is there somewhere we can feed him?".

I've realised what my problem is when it comes to planning trips around Japan. It's railway lines. There are so many of them! Whenever I see a railway line I want to travel on it. The more minor the line, the better. I love going down a slow branch line that runs right behind the suburbs and where tree branches flick against the outside of the carriages. I loathe a railway line without a passenger service, or even worse, a disused line. When you look at a railway map of Japan you realise that you can travel hundreds of kilometres in only a few hours. It makes me feel almost guilty that I want to spend time on the slower lines through the countryside to small towns. But that's what I want to do!

Eight days after baby Alex was born I booked his first trip overseas - to Japan with Jetstar - for when he's 4 months old. It was a cheap deal, I couldn't help myself! I asked Alex today whether he wanted to fly on a jet. He vocalised "yeah". Well, that's what it sounded like to me. It's so nice to be back thinking about travel plans. It's almost as if life is going back to normal! Despite our six trips to Japan, there is so much left to see. I was thinking of going back south to Kyushu, but we also haven't seen Hokkaido either. The cold during March is a bit of turn off, but then I saw the sleeper train Cassiopeia between Tokyo and Sapporo. The berths include split level accommodation! So tempting!

I was woken at 5:30 by the anguished cries of my 28 day old son, hungry for his morning feed. Two wet outfits later I had to call on my wife for help while I packed my bag. This was to be my first day back at work since my son's birth, except that instead of catching a train to my office I was flying to a meeting in Canberra. My wife dropped me off at the station and I caught the train to the airport. It looked like a magnificent day outside, blue skies with just a hint of morning cloud. Finally, I thought, I could look forward to a smooth flight where I could just enjoy the scenery outside. Before booking the flight a couple of days prior I had first consulted the forecast to ensure that I would enjoy a flight hopefully free of turbulence. As I rode the escalators up from the Domestic Terminal train station and the Baggage collection area on the ground floor I looked to my right to see Gail Kennedy?, the CEO of Westpac Bank at the valet parking desk. I recalled the item on the mor...

The captain would like to make an announcement that he is now that father of a baby boy, Alex. It's a bit of a late announcement, but things are kind of busy here now. See my other blog for more information. I'll stick to writing travel stuff here.

This was the trip that changed everything, the trip by which all future overseas journeys were measured. After a couple of horrible flights during my second overseas holiday to Malaysia in early 2000, I doubted whether I really wanted to travel overseas again. However, B was adamant that she wanted a honeymoon overseas and how could I deny my true love her dream wedding? We thought about Los Angeles, holiday packages to Disneyland were reasonably priced. But where was the romance in that? New Zealand was reasonably priced and reputedly beautiful, but it was so close! Surely we could visit it later. Where could be more romantic for a honeymoon than the city of love: Paris? We found an excellent deal with Qantas and, amidst the myriad other wedding preparations, booked it. Through Qantas Travel, their headquarters at the time just opposite my previous place of work, we arranged a hotel room, a tour to Mont St Michel and some museum and travel passes. Now we usually book everything ourse...

Realising that this would probably be the last anniversary for a long time that we could spend alone as a couple B and I stayed Sunday night in a hotel at Brighton Le Sands. The Novotel Brighton Beach has a pretty poor reputation amongst my work colleagues, but it was there that B and I spent our wedding night. That time, along with our subsequent visits, have always been enjoyable experiences. Indeed we have a great fondness for the beaches around Botany Bay. I will admit that one of the attractions for me is that Sydney's major airport juts out into the bay's otherwise serene waters and I can watch and dream as the big jets fly over the bay. Our hotel room was high up on the cornered ziggurat building, overlooking the bay, the airport and the city. Sadly the hotel had changed since our last stay. The large Balinese-style decorative pool and waterfall had gone, converted into additional outdoor bar seating. So too has the waterslide disappeared, now a children's playground...