Bamboo Rafting

Bamboo rafting was next on our itinerary and it required us to wear some really silly hats! 6 of us from the tour boarded one raft in pairs and the two drivers (one up front, one at the back) pushed us off with their bamboo sticks. The ride was more of a cruise as we gently rode down the river passing green countryside, reeds and a waterfall. The many small houses we saw were actually occupied and I found it hard to imagine living in such isolation. It would definitely be very peaceful.

At one stage Jono got to have a go at pushing the boat. We noticed the other raft from our tour group was doing the same. A scream caught our attention as we saw one of the bamboo poles splash into the water in front of the raft and down the river, at quite a fast pace. The race was on to catch their pole. The poor driver at the back of their raft had to work hard and after a minute they had it safely back on the raft, not to be passed to the girl again!

After a half an hour cruise we reached our destination...a small village. We were quickly ushered through market stalls full of brightly coloured bags, bottle holders, necklaces and clothing. I stopped and bought a bag with embroidered elephants on it. It is very cute.

Ox Cart Ride

After the elephant ride we swapped a wooden seat for a wooden cart, pulled along by 2 oxes. They are so weird looking with a big lump on its back and really long neck flab! The cart had an umbrella so that was nice, seeings we weren't travelling through the shady jungle anymore.

We went for a 20 minute ride through rice paddies and lush green countryside. The cart made me really appreciate rubber tyres! It was a very bumpy ride. The traffic was a bit hectic at times, when we went onto the roads, with other ox-carts and motorbikes zooming everywhere. We were dropped off to the restaurant for lunch. And when I mean restaurant, I mean the large hut with lots of tables and chairs and a long table with different food on it!

The buffet lunch was yummy. We had many choices of Thai food from rice and noodles to curry and chicken drumsticks (or little elephant legs as our guide told us!). Jono and I sat on a table with an Israeli couple who were really nice. They've told us we must visit their country. Maybe one day.

We rode elephants!!!!

This was one thing at the top of my list to do while in Thailand...ride an elephant. Ever since I saw a photo of my Auntie Chris looking petrified while sitting on an elephant's knee and seeing Jono's parents' picture of them riding on top of an elephant, I have wanted to do it too. We booked into a 1-day tour which included not only an elephant ride but also a ox-cart ride, bamboo rafting, buffet lunch and a quick visit to a small village. More on those later, let's stick to one topic at a time!!!!

After picking up a van's worth of people, we headed to the "jungle" and on arrival at the elephant park we caught the elephants having their bath in the river. Very cute. Next was an elephant performance. Different elephants performed different tricks including kicking a soccer ball, shooting hoops, giving a Thai massage, stacking logs, playing instruments (tambourine and harmonica), swinging a hoop and painting. Though all the tricks were entertaining we did stop for a moment and ponder animal rights and how these animals are treated out of hours, especially when we saw their instructors use sticks. At the end of the show the elephants came up close and personal with us all, looking for food! I got to sit on one elephant bare back. He was young because he still had long bristly hair on the tip of his head. WE are told elephants are like men, the older they get the less hair they have on their head!!!

Soon we lined up, bought some bananas and Jono and I were sitting in a wooden seat on the back of an elephant. It was really cool but uncomfortable. As we were being jostled back and forward with every step, we were also worried that we were slipping down the left side of the elephant so Jono had to keep moving in his seat to even us up! The elephant (and instructor sitting on his head) took us on a muddy track through the jungle, up and down hills, through the river twice and to a small village community. We also met quite a few other groups on elephants as we went along. As we hopped off Jono rewarded the elephant for it's hard work and fed it 2 bunches of bananas (it would have been 3 but one lot fell in the first river and the elephant couldn't find them!).

First Impressions

We finally arrived in Bangkok after a 2.5 hour bus trip to the airport (which included some running to a taxi because we didn't check the time table! Whoopsy)...a 3 hour wait for the plane...and a 5 hour flight. Aside from the waiting...which we filled with a nice session on the massage chair...all went well. As soon as we stepped through customs the claws were out and we were fair game!

The first counter we passed was for town cars. We thought, yeah, we need to get to our hotel. But when the lady jacked up the price and encouraged us to ride in a Merc we decided to move on! At the next counter were some very friendly and polite people who helped us out (or so we think). We ended up getting some taxi advice from them and booked into a half day private tour of the city for the next day for 500 Bart (about $20 for both of us). It was just the two of us in a private car with our own English speaking guide...Perfect. We figured we may as well just get straight to it.

Once we got to our Very Nice Hotel, Nai Lert Park hotel, we checked in, settled in and decided it was time for dinner. It was already night time and we had no idea where we were so we played "eeny, meeny miney moe" and went left. The first thing we noticed is that there were lots of not so pleasant smells in the air...followed by heaps of feral dogs everywhere. They made us nervous when we saw them but they didn't bat a closed eyelid as we passed them sleeping soundly on the footpaths and in the gutters. Next we had to cross the road. Hmmmm. Lot's of traffic plus crazy drivers plus nervous foreigners...not a good mix. We managed to find the traffic light count down and crossed quickly when the lights turned green (no pedestrian crossings here). We spotted a pizza shop but when we saw the spray painted images on the walls inside we kept walking. All of a sudden Jono grabbed me and pulled towards him as I heard a motorbike shoot past...on the footpath!! Geez. The food vendors weren't too far away which spelt divine but on approach we saw raw meat hanging on hooks in an open cabinet, other food laying open on trays and dodgy people sitting on chairs all along the footpath. We hightailed it to the one place we knew we could trust the food...yep, that's right...on our first night in Bangkok...for our first meal...we had...McThai (McDonald's). Don't worry, you couldn't get us to eat there and miss out on all the yummy Thai food now if you tried!

We Are in Thailand

Hi everyone. We are happy and safe here in Bankok and currently in an Internet cafe.

We have been having a great time. Did some sight seeing yesterday and just slothing around today. I started the day with a yoga session at 7:30!! Might take a dip in the pool later on.

It's pretty humid here, but no worse than Japan at the moment.

Tonight we are going to a dinner and Thai show which is meant to be spectacular.

The tiger temple is on the list for tomorrow and is going to be a very long day, but well worth it we're sure.

Well, will blog properly soon when we can access the Internet at our hotel. Bye for now.

Our Natsu Yasumi Itinerary

We are finally on actual holidays (though most of you are convinced that we've been on one long holiday this whole time!!) and we are taking off during this Summer Vacation (Natsu Yasumi).

Sunday July 22nd - Fly to Bangkok

Saturday July 28th - Fly to Chang Mai

Satuday August 4th - Return back to Himeji

August 13th - Bullet Train to Tokyo

August 19th - Go to Mt Fuji

August 22nd - Return back to Himeji


We then have a week with no plans, so we"ll keep you posted.

Thailand here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Day at Sanyo Jr High

After two 14-week terms and 2 weeks of holidays (during which we had to go to school) my time at Sanyo has come to a close. Being the last day of school before Summer Vacation (Natsu Yasumi) we had the Closing Ceremony.

All of the kids were ushered into the gym, the whole 1000 of them, and soon the proceedings started. First was the speech from the Principal (which took a good 10 minutes) and then it was my turn! Ms Kawarai introduced me in Japanese and explained what I have done over the year so far. While that was happening I climbed the steps to the stage and awaited my cue. Unlike on my first day at Sanyo, I was quite nervous! I had my speech written out and translated into Japanese weeks in advance so I have had time to practise. I gave my speech, both in English and Japanese, and even if I do say so myself I aced it! After which I received a huge round of applause and then the student council president gave me a speech on behalf of all students. He too spoke in English and Japanese. It was very sweet. Next they all sang the school song followed by more speeches and awards. One student was awarded "The Best Teeth" award! Everyone was trying hard not to laugh!

After the Closing Ceremony, the students went home and the teachers had a very long and very boring meeting. And of course we all know how much of it I actually understood, not that I really minded this time cos it was my last day! Next...lunch!

Today's bento was much more appetising than ones previously, probably cos it wasn't all that Japanesey.We had steak, crumbed prawns with tartare sauce, plain rice and salad. Yummo. We also got a little side assortment of lollies. Apparently they are old school lollies, lollies most of them enjoyed when they were children! May and I finished ours relatively quickly and had to leave early because we were due to visit my new school, Shiroyama Jr High.

Shiroyama is a school in the countryside, on the side of some hills. The student population is 1/5 of that at Sanyo, so I'm going from teaching 24 classes across 3 grades, 2 just 6! The school is quite impressive with a large white school building, a track (Japanese version of an oval), Kendo gym, tennis courts, sports gym and a swimming pool. It will take about 20 minutes by bus from the city, which will mean leaving home at 6:50am to ride to the city and catch the 7:15 bus! Oh joy!!!! Never mind. The English teacher I met was lovely and spoke really good English (a huge bonus) and I'm looking forward to starting there after the holidays.

When we arrived back at Sanyo I still had about 40 mins until I could leave. I packed up my desk including the presents I had received from the teachers and the gear I had accumulated during the two terms. I was afraid it was going to be an anti-climax departure from my school until it was 3:57pm and a teacher asked me what time I was due to leave. I told them in 3 mins time and they asked me to wait because the art teacher was painting me a present. All of a sudden everyone started talking to me, saying they'd wished they had more time to speak to me before and we all looked on as the art teacher finished my present. She had drawn a picture of Jono and I (in the form of the school mascot) in front of the Himeji Castle with cherry blossoms falling down, to represent how Jono proposed to me. It was VERY cute. Then as I started to get ready I realised it was raining!! Nooooooo! All of a sudden Yamaguchi handed me an umbrella and another teacher handed me a new waterproof outfit for my ride home! Ms Kawarai then lead me down the middle of the staff room and everyone started clapping as I passed. It was so cool. They were classic. A handful of teachers came down stairs to see me off and waved to me as I rode off home.

When I got home I opened the presents I was given. From Ms Kawarai I received a letter and a beautiful cloth you use to wrap your lunchbox in. From Ms Uemura I received a potted plant of Morning Glory. From the English teachers I received a photo frame and a make up bag. I also received some letters from students and cards from other teachers (some of which I had never really spoken to!). I felt quite spoilt. And looking back at my time at Sanyo, I really enjoyed it and will miss the place.

Miyuki's first recital!

With the letdown of the typhoon not really hitting, or if it did the effects not being visible, actually that's a good thing so stop complaining whinger, there was only one last adventure to look forward to for the long weekend... Miyuki's first recital...

Miyuki is a good friend of ours who teaches us Japanese once a week... well, we don't really study Japanese, she practices her English which is fine by us! So she has been learning the violin for about a year and today was her first recital. She told us some time ago and invited us to go... jokingly at the time we thought that'd be great... we'd get t-shirts with "Go Miyuki" on it and stand out like sore thumbs... That was 6 weeks ago...

So today was the day... 6 weeks had passed... we got t-shirts with "Go Miyuki" printed on them, in bright red so we looked like really sore, sunburnt thumbs... Miyuki was stoked with the t-shirts... it is now her favorite tshirt... the funniest part I think is seeing her wear a shirt that says "Go Miyuki" on it... we should have made it "Go Me!"

So, we arrived and met Hitomi, Miyuki's housemate. As we walked into the theatre the people backstage could see us on the monitor... and yes we stuck out... They to were impressed with the t-shirts... Miyuki's teacher, Tomoko asked if we could make a t-shirt with "Go Tomoko" on the front... maybe later...

The concert itself was a mix of the young and old, little and tall, good and the well, very good, and the, poor kids who forgot what they were supposed to be playing half way through the songs... Poor little fellas... Violins can be such a mix of the pure and the drowned cat!

Miyuki for her part did really well... She was really nervous and worried that her hand would be shaky... If it was I didn't notice...

I think by this time next year she will be even better!

When the typhoon is outside... take the beach party inside!!!!

So, as you knowledgable Aussies have reliably informed us there was a typhoon going to hit Himeji on Saturday night... As tis the season to be jolly (AKA Summer) there are many a beach party happening on the beaches of, well... Japan. The trouble is when a typhoon is on its way it may be a little dangerous... so the only thing left to do was take the sand from the beach and dump it inside a bar! And then it's still a beach party! Here's a picture of Jodi making a sand castle!

So, having finished the farewell potluck for the Americans, we donned our flowers, thongs and shorts and headed for "Coast", a local bar... actually ironic that the beach party was there! Anyways... We were greeted at the door by 2 lovely young chaps... it turns out they were to be the reggae entertainment for the evening... put our shoes outside in a plastic bag and headed to "the beach"...

Much what you would expect from a beach party... at times i thought the cameras from "Ibiza Uncovered" were going to follow British tourists to see what adventures they were getting up to... but no... this was Beach Party Japan and no such shady characters... actually, that may be a lie but we don't know what they were saying if they were being smarmy...

I guess what a beach party needs most is water... As none was being consumed by the patrons the owner of the bar decided it was time to turn a hose on everybody... so she did... everybody sopping wet and thankfully no one electricuted...This was one of the barmen who enjoyed spraying us all...He was looking remarkably like Jack Sparrow (don't know how that fits in with the beach theme but we are in Japan and anything goes!)...

Having had a grand old time at the beach or the coast or whatever it was it was time to hit the road jack... well actually, jono... so we did... hopped in a cab and cruised off into the sunset... actually that's a lie... it was night time...

And for those who were concerned about what might happen to us if the typhoon hit lil old Himeji... nothing did! In fact, I'm not even sure if the typhoon hit here... What a let down! All the excitement and hype about a tropical weather pattern... and it was about as successful as the Socceroos first adventure into the Asian Cup!

Wet Season Blues

The wet season has well and truly set in and we can't wait for it to be over. Everyday this past week it has been raining in the morning and most of the day too. And you know what that means...I (Jodi) have to ride my little bike Japanese style.

Rainy season is somewhat inconvenient because there are more things to add to your morning routine.

1) Allow an extra 5 mins to 'suit up' in the wet weather gear.

2) Pack an extra pair of socks, cos the ones you wear are guaranteed to be sopping when you arrive at school.

3) Wrap your bag in a plastic bag for the journey.
4) Make sure you have your umbrella.

Then it's time to ride one handed through the rain, allowing for a longer stopping time, puddles, streams of elementary school kids walking in 2 lines with umbrellas and passing bikers also with umbrellas. School kids are always prepared for wet weather, wearing their pastel green or yellow water proof gear and their school bags wrapped in garbage bags. When you arrive at school you...

1) Hang up your umbrella on your handle bars.

2) Take off your wet water proof gear and hang it over your bike.

3) Run from the bike shelter to the school building.

4) Change your socks and put on your inside shoes. Ahhh, much better.

Rain, rain go AWAY!!!!!! (and go to Australia!)

ダブル ろる ピザ （Daburu Roru Piza）

We've seen the picture...and the TV advert...and now we have tasted it for ourselves.

Jono, Lauren, Chelsea and I took a chance and ordered the crazy Double Roll pizza from Pizza Hut. We went the whole 9 yards and got the Double Roll Set which included an 'L' size pizza, 4 spicy chicken drumsticks and some wedges. I must admit that it all looks a lot bigger in the pictures! The pizza came with some sauces which were sticky-taped to the box. They were 1) Green Spicy Sauce, 2) Fruity Ketchup and 3) Honey Maple. The Fruity Ketchup was delicious (much the same as chutney) on the sausage roll. The Honey Maple was too sweet for such a savoury food (much better on pancakes) and I wasn't game enough to have the Green Spicy Sauce, the chicken was spicy enough for me! The pizza was surprisingly good. The wiener sausage roll was my favourite and even the small hamburger patties went down a treat. The tomato, corn, bacon, beans and cheese combo was tasty, but I wasn't a fan of the very yellow cheesy rolls. Overall, a pleasant surprise!

In an effort to somewhat re-create the TV ad we have the following picture for you...

Double Roll Pizza anyone?

HAI!!!!!!!!!

Drumming Lesson at Oichi

At my latest visit to my itty bitty Elementary School in the countryside, Oichi Elementary, I had the opportunity to visit, and participate in, the year 4/5/6 drumming class. The drums were wheeled out into formation and the students took their places. I was amazed at their precision and their rhythm. Their routines were carefully choreographed and I just watched with keen interest. They played with two different types of sticks, plain wooden ones and sparkly ones with pom poms on the ends! I even got to play the drums. Two girls showed me how and I had a great time. I was proud when I mastered the criss cross drum pattern. Oh such fun and to only think these kids are 8, 9 and 10 years old!

A message for Taube

Taube, just for you... you can now put comments on our blog... again... that is not to say that no body else can... but becuase you asked Taube... we listen... That's what we do here at the Himeji Diaries listen... actually we write normally... but most of all... we listen...

Yashiro-Ohtoshi Shrine

Lauren, Tina, Steve and I attended the "Yudate" and "Chinowa Kuguri" services at Yashiro-Ohtoshi Shrine. It is a ceremony that promotes good health and happiness for the next 6 months (to charge up again there is another ceremony in December!).

First we took part in the "Chinowa" (passing through the ring of thatch grass). You do this by standing in front of the ring, walk through it and turn left going back to the start. Then you walk through it again and turn right going back to the start. Last of all you walk straight through to the shrine to pray. People in the shrine would hold the long rope, hit the bell with it and then pray to the gods ( didn't do this part). After wards we were given a small ring of thatch grass to take home and give us god health.

We were encouraged to join in the games which included scooping fish into a bowl with a paper scoop (scoop as many as you can before your scoop disintegrates) and hook a balloon. The hooks were attached to a thin string of paper and we had to hook the loop attached to a balloon before the string broke. Tina caught hers first and was a little disappointed when she pulled it up and it was 80% deflated! It was a cute game.

Next was the "Yudate" service. A man in a purple kimono, a black sequined hat and very big, black shiny shoes read out the service. He did it in almost a song-like style (no not J-Pop style!). After this everyone shuffled forwards. The man held two bunches of bamboo grass which had been boiling away in a pot and brought them over to everyone. He then swung them from side to side and the crowd were sprinkled in droplets of a Japanese version of 'holy water'.

Last of all was the "Chinowa Kuguri" service. Everyone played follow the leader and, lead by the guy in purple, the whole crowd did the figure 8 formation through the ring. Many people were handed a branch of the bamboo grass for a keep-sake and to display at home. We looked pretty funny riding home with baskets full of grass!

Reading Record (cont...)

21-"Anybody Out There" (Thanks Lauren)
By Marian Keyes
AnnaWalsh is a mess. After beingin a horrific accident she is desperate to leave the care of her parents and return to her much loved life in New York, which of course includes the most fabulous job and Aiden. Unfortunately Aiden seems unwilling to regain contact with Anna. The book documents Anna's journey as she struggles to replace all the pieces of her puzzle, missing since the accident. This book made me cry. That'll do.Oi!!!! HEHEHEHE! scoff... scowl... silence...hehehehehehehstop!

22-"Disgrace"
By J.M.Coetzee

This was the most disappointing book so far! It is about a middle-aged college professor who has an impulsive affair with one of his students. This affair turns ugly and he is summoned before a committee for an inquiry. He openly admits his guilt and takes off to his daughter's farm. At the farm he and his daughter are the victims of a savage attack which puts even more strain on the father-daughter relationship.

What the?!!?? SPECIAL EDITION

Yes, that's right. Pizza Hut exists in Japan. The pizza box is the same, but the pizzas inside are a crazy and mixed up combination of many different ingredients.


Introducing the new pizza from Pizza Hut...


"Double Roll" pizza. It has...
*hamburgers
*tomato
*fresh mushrooms
*capsicum
*bacon
*corn
*beans
*cheese
*cracked pepper
*surrounded by sausage rolls and cheese rolls. Who could go past this beauty?

To view the hilarious commercial click on the following link and press the grey button with the yellow arrow:
http://www.pizzahut.jp/more/cm.php

Here's the wind-up, and here's the Pitch.

This is the final pitch in the Hanshin Tigers Vs The Lions game at Koshien. This won the Tigers the game...hence all the balloons. Oh such fun!

Sumo - Video

Blogger has just introduced a "video" function, which is pretty exciting. Here is a video from our visit to the Sumo Wrestling in Osaka back in March. Enjoy.

Nara

Jono and I had decided it was time we did a day trip, just the two of us, to a new place. We decided to go to Nara.

Nara took 2 hours by train, and we were really lucky with the weather. I was surprised by its slow pace and sleepy little streets, even though it is quite a large city. We meandered through the cobble stoned streets, popping into shops of interest and enjoying the hospitality of the shop owners. The first shop that we stopped in at was a honey shop. From across the street it looked like a perfume store, with all of these colourful glasses (jars) on display around on the shelves. On closer inspection we were corrected! The shop owner gave us each a small cup of cordial, which was deeeeeeeelicious. She told us it was honey cordial, with different flavouring. Next she gave us a small spoon and let us taste the variety of honey. We tasted blueberry, raspberry, lemon, maple, acerola (cherry) and yuza (Japanese lime). Each tasting was followed by an approving Mmmmmmm with wide eyes! Each one just got better! We made the executive decision to grab a variety pack on our way home, seeings we couldn't decide on just one. The lady told us you can have it on toast, ice cream and even diluted in water to make the cordial!! Yum, yum, yum. We may be going back to Nara in the future just to get another stock of honey!

Our first landmark for the day was Kofukuji. This is a temple that was transferred to Nara from Kyoto in 710. The original temple complex had 175 buildings but fires and destruction due to power struggles have left only a dozen or so still standing. In Nara there are two pagodas, one 3-storey and one 5-storey. The 5-storey pergoda is the tallest in Japan. They were both quite spectacular and it just leaves you wondering how on earth they managed to build them and how many people died in the process?

As we wandered along the tree lined paths and enjoyed the wide spaces of nature there were often wild deer lazing around. We often walked past little tables selling "deer food" for 150 yen. It was quite entertaining seeing many other tourists trying to feed the crackers to the deers, with trembling fingers and a slight flinch and jump back once it was taken from them! One lady even put the biscuit in her mouth and fed it to the deer. Eww. They were very tame and more than happy to let you pat them (if you wanted to) and pose for photos.

Our next port of call was to give Big Bud a visit (the bronze buddha) at Todaji Temple. This is the star attraction of Nara.This Todaji Temple is the third generation structure (after being destroyed twice by the fires of war) and although it is 33%smaller than the original structure is actually the largest wooden structure in the world. On entry of the huge Daibutsu-den Hall I was quite impressed at the size of the Buddha.I really had to tilt my head up quite high to see his head. The large Buddha is sitting on a tall platform and he is 14.98 meters tall. His head alone is 5.41m high! This temple serves as both a place of prayer for peace on Earth (there were many people lighting a candle and placing it on the rack in front of Buddha) and a centre of Buddhist doctrinal research. Behind the Buddha is a large up-right pole with a hole cut through the base. It is said that anyone who can climb through will be blessed with good luck. We saw a high school student slide through with one arm first. It was a tight fit but he made it.

We really enjoyed the relaxing walk through and past many temples and ancient statues, many covered decoratively with moss and finally made our way back to the station, but not without buying the honey first. On our way we came across two men making the dough for a Japanese sweet. One man had a mallet type utensil which he swung up above his head and belted down into the large bowl while another man risked his limbs by slapping the mixture and rolling it over. They had a chant going that got faster and faster and was quite a show to see.