Te Papa

We have little luck when it comes to the car on this vacation. It's died twice, so dad has marched off to Hertz to yell at them since he was supposed to golf today. I find I'm having trouble with New Zealand cuisine since it is mainly fried and killing my stomach, ugh.....seeking refuge in pasta when possible. We went to the botanical gardens which meant a ride on the cable car to the top of a hill, which was nice. We had a good lunch with a beautiful view of the bay and then walked up and down hills in the gardens (my legs are killing me). It was all so beautiful though, nature itself here is simply astounding with all the dense vegetation growing up hillsides and singing birds (birds don't sing in Japan, it sounds more like they scream). Yesterday we went to Te Papa, the national museum and wandered through about half of it. The place is enormous, 6 floors of exhibits. Right now, their big one is whales, which we didn't get into but will see next time since it's free and just a few blocks from our apartment. A good rainy day activity. Today is gorgeous and Mom and I are going to wander about and shop (I'm looking for a tin whistle to play some irish music on, I've been craving it), granted I don't throw up on the sidewalk and pass out next to Lenny the Loincloth (we've dubbed a bum on the street this, he sits in the same spot we pass every day. He's so tan he looks black, has gray long hair that frizzes all over, wears a black loin cloth, and makes strange growling shouting noises whenever a pretty girl passes).

Windy in Wellington

We made it to New Zealand safe and sound. I'm surpised by how it feels here because I expected it to feel more like the US. Japan is very foreign in that you can't understand things, but here we understand things yet it's very different in terms of food, customs, everything is just slightly skewed. So, you think you've got something, but then it turns out to be totally different. That doesn't make sense. For example, in restaurants a lot of times no one is there to seat you but there are no signs that tell you to seat yourself, so there is a constant sense of confusion. Lots of fried food here, pub food. It's quite English here actually, although I've never been to England. They don't give you exact change here either, so if something costs $3.99 and you give them $4, they give you no change back. Weird. It's very expensive here too, even compared to Japan. Shoes are an average of $150 a lot of places. I looked at a shirt that was $550, unbelievable! Food is pricey, and shampoo can be an average of $10 a bottle but I guess that's what you get for importing that kind of thing or growing yourself. Lots of local stuff. We found the farmers' market on Sunday which was nice although there weren't many actual growers there. It was still fun though. The water here is beautiful and there is a small beach nearby. It's summer and the high is around 70 degrees here but the sun is so intense that we all wish we'd brought more shorts. Our rental car battery died Sunday, so dad couldn't go golfing but it's fixed now. You drive on the wrong side of the road here and Mom and I were convinced we would die on the way to the apartment but we made it. Our apartment is really small but it serves its purpose. We celebrated Christmas this morning with our little stockings and many little gifts were exchanged. Now we've got Christmas Story on tv to help keep us in the mood, but it doesn't feel like Christmas. I think we all miss home and our friends and the rest of the family in the US.

Meet Aneen

Because I'm a dork, I have to do this entry. This is our newest member of the household. He's quite a cuddler but a little noisy at times. It seems dad has taken a liking to Aneen (which means little bird) or as Mom often refers to him "Hooty." We've all lost our minds!!!!

Bullet Train.......AWAY!!!!

Yesterday was a big day trip and my first time on the bullet train. We went to Kakagawa, which was an hour and a half ride by bullet (6 hours by normal train) and cost us around $500 round trip. On the way I got to see Mt. Fuji for the first time, which was beautiful but some cloud cover was troublesome. When we arrived in this little town, we realized that we had not dressed warm enough by any means and froze stiff rather quickly. We were going to have a nice lunch at a hotel Dad knew of, but they were a bit too authentic Japanese for us and only served a lunch set, which means you get very little say in what they bring you. So, we decided to do an activity and hopefully find a restaurant somewhere later. Our 2 choices were seeing a palace or a bird sanctuary. I declared, BIRDS! and it was the best choice ever made. It wasn't too far of a walk and we didn't even really get lost. We went into a building that was a big gift shop and all along the walls were glassed in cages of beautiful owls! They even had a hedwig one. We paid $10 a head to go in and at the front desk I was studying a beauty bird that looked like a falcon of some kind and soon realized it was alive! We walked into an open air spot with 2 ponds of water and ducks were wandering everywhere along with penguins! A woman working there pulled a penguin out of the water and it walked up to me and I got to pet it. The ones swimming in the water would come by and I could rub their backs as they passed, how cool is that?!?!? The rest of the sanctuary was consisted of several large greenhouse structures. Birds would fly about as they wished and if they let you, you could touch or even hold them. All sorts of beautiful exotic birds, parrots, peacocks, etc. I got to hold a toucan, touch flamingos, and hold some other birds that I didn't even know what they were called. As we were leaving, I realized that there was a penguin behind the front desk with a little bed and one of the women came out scolding it in Japanese because it had tracked poo everywhere, it acted all ashamed too, it was so cute!! It was by far the best experience I've had here so far. Dad even got me a stuffed owl that gives a little hooting sound when you squeeze it, which is what mom woke me up with this morning. I know I know, I'm too old for stuffed animals, but I don't care!! Afterwards, wasn't so great because we couldn't find anywhere to eat and ended up in a coffee place full of smoke where no one spoke english. I had a slice of chocolate cake for lunch, healthy gal. We rode back and had dinner at a far better place so overall it was probably our best day trip we've had so far. They all tend to go a bit sour by the end, but this one will be fondly remembered.

A trip to the zoo

Yesterday Mom and I went on an adventure to find the Zoological Gardens that are quite close by even though we didn't know it. It's a free zoo and quite incredible because you get so close to the animals, unlike the Columbus zoo. I don't typically like to go to zoos because they sadden me with all the caged animals and the zoo here didn't have the creatures in anything close to their natural habitats but I still found the visit interesting. I could literally stick out my hand and touch the tiger through the bars, but I decided to keep my fingers, thank you! The chimpanzees were going berzerk along with the lemers but the thing I loved most was seeing all the different tortoises they had. I love tortoises so much!! At the entrance there were these topiary things that I couldn't resist being silly with.....On our way to the zoo, we stopped at a pet store that specializes in small dogs and cats and only carries puppies and kittens. Basically, I'm stuck going "awwweee" the entire time I'm in there and begging mom to get one even though the creature would have to be in quarantine for 3 months to get to the US. There was a puppy that could literally sit in the palm of my hand, poor thing was lonely. Today we took another, less dramatic adventure to the silk museum, which was slightly more entertaining than it sounds. Actually I think I got a little inspiration for characters in my book from some of the exotic outfits they had on display. Ahhh rainy days.....

Getting Lost

Sunday we decided to set out in search of some famous Japanese gardens in our area. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the map with us, a great source of agitation as we wandered through the streets grumbling angrily. However, we did stumble upon quite a few temples and an absolutely enormous cemetary which I've put a pic of here. I can't imagine living with this behind my house!! On the walk back, we found a type of festival where these men were kneading dough by pounding it with this big wooden hammer......Something I would like to try someday when I'm feeling angry, hehehehhee.

Tokyo

Today I went to Tokyo for the second time and I stick to my opinion that it's a city just like any other city. Luckily Mom and I got seats on the train to and from which is rare but we did not dress warm enough for the chilly breezes today. I'm posting a picture of a small portion of the train map we look at to buy our tickets. Try reading the destinations on this bugger! After deciphering how to get around in this country, I feel like using trains and mass transit in somewhere like Europe or almost anywhere else would be a snap! We had to pick up mom's passport at the U.S. Embassy which is just as hard to get into as getting through U.S. Airport security. Pain in the bum. But we walked to the palace, where lots of tourists go. The only trouble is, you can't actually see the palace. You can see the moat around the grounds and the stone wall and a few bridges but that's about it. At least there were lots of pretty trees to see from where we were. Then we cut through a park where lots of festivals take place. The changing colors in the trees were gorgeous but all the yellow gingko leaves are falling. Geez those trees smell bad!! There were stone stairs leading throughout part of the park, winding around the homeless people and leading to a large bell with a plaque. For once, the plaque was in English. Turns out the bell was a replica of the liberty bell that some famous American presented to the Japanese to encourage American mentality many years ago. I actually laughed out loud at the idea of it. We snobby Americans never learn to live cultures alone.....Sorry if I offend anyone in that statement. This evening I have discovered the interesting effect of soju on my system. Apparently it takes any balance I had left and throws it out the window, which is pretty entertaining for me and everyone around me. I think I may have to drink more of that interesting alcohol to study it's further effects, lol!

Lost in Translation

My little poem:
I wish
I wish
I had a Babel Fish!

For those of you that don't know what the babel fish is, look it up. Some of the little typos we've noticed around here on a daily basis...."countory club," "dlaft beer," and "fravors." My parents spotted an individual wearing a really nice leather coat that had print on the back saying "from the planet of dope shit." Now, I don't know if this was a translation issue or not, but I have to laugh. The one I saw that killed me was a place that serves "sand witches" they had that printed on a large sign in front of their restaurant. Then the illustrations on signs and stuff is funny to. These 2 signs are in the elevator and one warns about putting your hand in the door, which I did the other day trying to catch the door cuz dad was in with a bunch of stuff from costco. Unfortunately he hit the close door instead of open door button, I was not happy and neither was my arm. The other one warns about your dog getting in the elevator and the door shutting. It says not to hold onto the leash since it'll strangle the dog, but the picture is funny.

New Boots

Here's a pic of my new boots! Now, I know I know these boots are far from anything that I would usually wear but as shallow as it sounds, they help me feel like I fit in a little bit more here. Almost everyone wears these boots and shorts with knee socks or tights. Of course, when I wear them I tend to get them stuck in cracks or almost slip and fall on my ass but they look nice. When I'm falling in the mud, at least I'll look good doin' it, right? lol.....

Taking a Walk

Walking to the video store, I took some pics of random things that I've mentioned in the past or wanted to point out. First is the beer vending machines which I guess have cameras in them, but I can't help but think of what a horrible temptation it must be for minors. At the movie store, it's a whirl of confusion because they have American films but a lot of them have Japanese titles in them, so you have to stop and look at each DVD and figure out what it is from the pics. Good thing I have no life so I know my films so well. Ugh. On the walk back, we spotted an entertaining flub in language translation. Someone had written on their motorcycle that was mostly covered except for this bumper which says, "Don't Touch! If you wounded this bike, I crush your golden ball." Can someone tell me what a golden ball is? Hilarious! The gas stations here are quite different. We pass a gas station/repair shop on the way and the gas pumps all hang from the ceiling instead of having their own funky stations. It costs around $4 a liter, dang.....No wonder so many people ride their bikes and vespas.

The Apartment

I thought I should write a bit about where I'm living. It's a big apartment for Japan and rent with utilities and cable is $7,000 a month. Thank goodness we don't pay that. I have my own room (in the photo) on the opposite side of the apartment from my parents but the door doesn't shut if I have the sliding glass door open for air which is a pain because the living room is across the hall from me. I've got a pic of my own bathroom but the toilet is not in that bathroom, it is around the corner in another room. My bathroom is actually 2 rooms, one with the sink and cupboards and the other with the tub and shower. The bathtub I have is very very deep but also quite short, so lying in it is a challenge. Then the shower is quite odd because instead of standing in the tub like at home, I stand on the tiled area and there are drains in the floor. There is also a full length mirror which irritates me because I do not want to see myself showering (it fogs up quickly thanfully) and then I have to squigee it every time. We have a small room between the mine and the living room that hosts our wondrous ab lounger, which gathers dust as I write. The living room, also pictured, currently hosts 2 tvs because of our dvd complications. There is a door we can shut between my room and the living room thankfully. The dining room is mostly unused except for gift wrapping and puzzles. The kitchen, as you see, is quite small but functional enough. My parents have their own bathroom with toilet, most unfair. We have a patio area we can use but rarely do because it's not much of a view. At the entryway we have 2 cupboards to put our shoes in, a Japanese habit mom has embraced wholeheartedly. We are on the 5th floor, which is the lowers floor you can live on in this building. Below us is a place that does weddings, a cafe and the two banes of my existence, the health club and the punk rock club. Every morning starting at 11am, the fitness club opens and begins playing their stereo system so we have a constant background noise of bad techno type music. Then starting around 9:30 or so every night after the fitness club has ceased, we get the noise of the punk rock music, so there's pounding of drums and such. Quite annoying when you're trying to fall asleep.

Guam

Whew, what a weekend! Saturday, we took the airport bus for the 1.5 hour trip to Narita airport at 7:15am and then flew for 3.5 hours to Guam. Got to watch Ratatouille on the plane which was cute. We went from 50 degree weather here to 88 degree weather in Guam. Of course, we get out of the airport and the skies are blue, there are flowers everywhere, palm trees, and clear blue waters. We rented a car and drove to K-mart which we all felt horrendous about being so excited about going there. We looked like druggies because we had to buy so many things since medications aren't in english here which is complicated. Plus I got "Hairspray" since it's an American territory so I can watch the DVDs no problem. Watched that on the flight back and again when we got home. We stopped by the hotel which was a far cry from fantastic, it was pretty average and smelled like mold. But who cares? We got all gussied up and went down to dinner in a steakhouse where I of course had chicken but the waiter was so nice and thought I was hilarious because I would get so excited about little things like ranch dressing and bread. Then it decided to piss down rain so we drove to the outlet mall at 8. Mom and I each got a pair of nine west boots, which I will post a pic of because they are soooo not me but they're fun. Then we crashed in the hotel and after a horrible nights' sleep, got up at 7:30 to sunny skies. Had a continental breakfast with pancakes, bacon, a donut (much to dad's shagrin), and fruit, so it was all the stuff I don't get here. Then we walked around outside and along the beach. The water is so clear and the sand was so white but there were lots of bit of coral and rocks in it which was painful to walk on. There was a cliff we could see, which I'm putting a pic of on here that reminded me of Pirates of the Caribean where Elizabeth faints and falls into the ocean. hehehe. As soon as we went back inside, it instantly clouded up and rained again since it is the end of the rainy season. After driving around the island a bit, we had to return to the airport where we shopped in Duty free and I got a little pizza which is another missing aspect of life here. Then it was the flight back, where they showed the Santa Claus but I watched Hairspray on my computer and some big guy across the aisle from me put on his sunglasses so no one could tell he was watching it too. They tried to feed us a horrible roast beef sandwich. Ugh. We got in and rode 1.5 hours back to the apartment and here we are again. I think it's a bit dangerous to have all of us so close for so long. But no blood was shed. I just loved the normalcy and beauty of Guam. It was great to go places and not have to point at things and to be able to strike up conversations with random people. The tv was more normal there too. Ugh. I constantly begged dad to leave me there and he even offered to extend my stay, but I hadn't brought enough medication for it! Oh well.....lovely Guam.