Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Time for a bit of a catch up session 2
From the balmy, tropical climes of Hawaii our interpid trion next headed (after a bunch of work, kindergarten and other stuff) to the foothills of Mount Fuji for our annual pilgrimage to Thomas the Tank engine Land.
I'm not sure how it happened but we have now made the trek to Fujikyuu Highland three times now. I think Kanako is a bit of a closet Thomas geek at heart. We had a good time anyway, especially Prince Joshie who was in Junior trainspotter heaven. And like our visit to Hawaii, he could enjoy himself so much more now that he is a bit bigger. Mum and dad didn't miss out too much though. The adjoining Hot Spring was much appreciated after two days of walking around the Isle of Sodor. Not only that it boasted Japan's largest wooden bath-house. Amazing, huh? :-)
Other non-locomotive highlights of the park included sledding/tobogganing on a small artificial snow slope that had been constructed on an empty lot. Great fun! Joshie was more impressed however by the Jumping castle which he played on for what felt like hours while his poor parents slowly froze to death in the icy winds howling about Japan's sacred mountain. Kanako also bullied me into trying ice-skating for the first time which she and Joshie thoroughly enjoyed. I however was not so enthusuastic and would have to be paid rather a lot of money to try that again. Dad did however manage to pack away his fair share of booze and local etas so the trip was not a total loss.
All in all a great New Year's holiday again. I just hope Joshie gets into snorkelling or something warmer this summer so next New Year's can be spent in the sun not snow.
All in all a great New Year's holiday again. I just hope Joshie gets into snorkelling or something warmer this summer so next New Year's can be spent in the sun not snow.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Time for a bit of a catch up session 1
Yes, I know I said I was gonna post a bunch of stuff in February but you know how it is. In my defence, it's really cold here and my typing fingers were frozen for most of the winter. Anyway, the Plum blossoms are blooming and the ice in my veins has thawed so it's time for a bit of an update. But where to start, faithful reader? How about Hawaii?
Travelling back in time to the last week of November 2007 finds our heroic trio in the balmy climes of Hawaii. As you know we are big fans of sun, sand and tropical cocktails by the pool so for our very belated Summer vacation we headed back to Hawaii. Despite it being the end of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere the weather in Hawaii was absolutely brilliant. A bit of afternoon rain but never lasting more than 30 minutes and not that heavy either. It's a nice feeling to go from sweaters, jackets and woolly hats to daggy Aloha shirts, shorts and sandals.
This time round we didn't get any further round the island than last time, even going on the same tour to Hanauma bay, but with Joshie being a bit more grown up it was a lot more fun. He really loved going to the beach every day and scoffing. He is definitely a Koishi-Pryor. He is definately his Star Wars Fan Father's boy too. He spent almost every minute that he wasn't in his togs wearing his Star wars costume that kanako made him for Halloween, complete with lightsaber. Luckily Homeland Security seemed to get the joke and he wasn't dragged away at the airport.
Apart from the above mentioned sunning, swimming and scoffing we did venture away from our hotel and go for a submarine ride. By submarine, I mean the real deal, Captain Nemo style, not a glorified glass bottomed boat. We actually dived down to 150ft at one point.However the underwater view did not quite live up to our expectations. While the experience of being on a real sub was kinda cool the scenery wasn't quite as stunning as glossy brochure suggested. The lack of a dense barrier reef was definitely a factor although there were some artificial reefs, a wrecked freighter and two purposely sunk Aircraft fuselages. I was expecting crystal clear waters teeming with colourful fish and sea life. Instead the water a little cloudy and the fish few and far between. It was definitely not worth the $100 plus price. Rant over.
The very reasonably priced snorkel ling tour to Hanauma bay was the complete opposite however. Here the water was amazingly clear and tropical fish were swarming around our feet just 3 metres off the beach. Even though the sand was reasonably crowded, once we were in the water there was plenty of room to explore and fish to see. It was definitely a highlight for both of us.
As with all our trips abroad, scoffing played a big part. Great piles of Italian, Mexican, Hawaiian and Chinese were consumed with relish. However we were disappointed Jackie Chan's restaurant had gone out of business. Our first run-in with Matzoh ball soup was also rather interesting. I don't know whether it was the restaurants particular take on the dish but we failed to see the appeal on a great big ball of dough plonked in the middle of some pretty average chicken noodle soup. The bagels were awesome though. Despite the huge variety of exotic food on parade , Kanako and I both agree that the best thing we ate were the hamburgers we had upstairs at the Alamoana shopping centre. Huge patties, cooked to perfection, not too tough, not too tender, slathered in home-made sauces, enough salad items to assuage our consciences but not so much as to get in the way of the main attraction = perfection. The best burgers we have ever had! Light years away from Maccers and BK (although they still have their place ;-).
Well, that's about it for Hawaii, we would love to go back this year but that might just prove to be impossible. Why? I'll explain later. You'll just have to keep reading.
Travelling back in time to the last week of November 2007 finds our heroic trio in the balmy climes of Hawaii. As you know we are big fans of sun, sand and tropical cocktails by the pool so for our very belated Summer vacation we headed back to Hawaii. Despite it being the end of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere the weather in Hawaii was absolutely brilliant. A bit of afternoon rain but never lasting more than 30 minutes and not that heavy either. It's a nice feeling to go from sweaters, jackets and woolly hats to daggy Aloha shirts, shorts and sandals.
This time round we didn't get any further round the island than last time, even going on the same tour to Hanauma bay, but with Joshie being a bit more grown up it was a lot more fun. He really loved going to the beach every day and scoffing. He is definitely a Koishi-Pryor. He is definately his Star Wars Fan Father's boy too. He spent almost every minute that he wasn't in his togs wearing his Star wars costume that kanako made him for Halloween, complete with lightsaber. Luckily Homeland Security seemed to get the joke and he wasn't dragged away at the airport.
Apart from the above mentioned sunning, swimming and scoffing we did venture away from our hotel and go for a submarine ride. By submarine, I mean the real deal, Captain Nemo style, not a glorified glass bottomed boat. We actually dived down to 150ft at one point.However the underwater view did not quite live up to our expectations. While the experience of being on a real sub was kinda cool the scenery wasn't quite as stunning as glossy brochure suggested. The lack of a dense barrier reef was definitely a factor although there were some artificial reefs, a wrecked freighter and two purposely sunk Aircraft fuselages. I was expecting crystal clear waters teeming with colourful fish and sea life. Instead the water a little cloudy and the fish few and far between. It was definitely not worth the $100 plus price. Rant over.
The very reasonably priced snorkel ling tour to Hanauma bay was the complete opposite however. Here the water was amazingly clear and tropical fish were swarming around our feet just 3 metres off the beach. Even though the sand was reasonably crowded, once we were in the water there was plenty of room to explore and fish to see. It was definitely a highlight for both of us.
As with all our trips abroad, scoffing played a big part. Great piles of Italian, Mexican, Hawaiian and Chinese were consumed with relish. However we were disappointed Jackie Chan's restaurant had gone out of business. Our first run-in with Matzoh ball soup was also rather interesting. I don't know whether it was the restaurants particular take on the dish but we failed to see the appeal on a great big ball of dough plonked in the middle of some pretty average chicken noodle soup. The bagels were awesome though. Despite the huge variety of exotic food on parade , Kanako and I both agree that the best thing we ate were the hamburgers we had upstairs at the Alamoana shopping centre. Huge patties, cooked to perfection, not too tough, not too tender, slathered in home-made sauces, enough salad items to assuage our consciences but not so much as to get in the way of the main attraction = perfection. The best burgers we have ever had! Light years away from Maccers and BK (although they still have their place ;-).
Well, that's about it for Hawaii, we would love to go back this year but that might just prove to be impossible. Why? I'll explain later. You'll just have to keep reading.
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