Soaking up the sunshine at the Amalfi Coast

Spent a fabulous sunshine-filled 5 days at the Amalfi coast with Ivan and Fumiko. Escaping the wet, cold English summer was very high on my list of priorities and southern Italy certainly did not disappoint. I have come back gloriously (by my standards!) tanned and itching to go back for the best Italian food of my life. Ok, a little backtracking is in order here...

We stayed at the Sorrento Palace, taken over by the Hilton, with a lovely view across the water to Mt. Vesuvius. Unfortunately that was not the view from our hotel room but it was the view from the buffet breakfast area, and oh what a buffet spread it was!

For the first day there, we managed to walk up the trail to Mt Vesuvius after a rather hair-raising van ride up the mountain. I believe the only way we avoided any accidents was by the timely tooting of the driver around hairpin curves to let cars driving in the opposite direction know we were taking no prisoners and they better stop for us or they would be pushed off the side! Serious game of chicken there.

Vesuvius was cool, nice walk up. We peered into the crater, lots of dirt around. Took obligatory photos. Luckily Ivan is an avid photographer so got lots of photos of myself walking up the path....how vain am I?

After Vesuvius, we took the train to Pompeii. That was one of the highlights for me. I didn't realise the scale of the town and how much tragedy the blow-up caused. I kept walking the empty ruins imagining what it must have been like teeming with people, carts, market stalls. There were so many buildings intact, we even went into the brothel and there were still fairly fresh looking frescos of erotic acts....

That night we went to a fantastic Italian restaurant and had the best Italian meal of my life. Seriously it was the best pasta I have ever had, and the dessert...my mouth is watering just remembering it right now. So after an unforgettable meal, we walked back to the hotel and passed a group of senior citizens dancing the night away in a makeshift outdoor dance hall. They invited us along and we thought, why not? I had an absolute ball dancing with these octogenarians (well they looked it....) they sure knew some cool moves! I did the tango and some fun Italian numbers. I couldn't stop laughing as I got twirled around the floor. More fun than the clubs in London I reckon!

Next day we did some island hopping to Capri. We hired a little boat and powered around the gorgeous island and saw an amazing coastline. The highlight here was sailing to the green grotto and being able to swim in the crystal clear, cool, green water. It felt so serene inside the cave, I was on my own for a priceless few minutes and found myself treading water and admiring the beautiful green walls of the cave. Then a bunch of brazillians swam by and we proceeded to conduct a conversation about how great Sao Paolo and Sydney beaches are! Ahhh my patriotism surprises me sometimes.

Unfortunately I got quite seasick halfway through our sailing trip, our little boat got bullied on the seas by all the ferries and big boats and I felt icky for the rest of the day. Might be the reason why I was in such a pissy mood when we visited the Blue Grotto, what a tourist trap! We had to cough up 9 euros to be rowed into the grotto, was in there for 2 minutes. Ok so the blue blue water was cool to see, but after being able to swim in the green grotto, this was just disappointing. Then the oarsmen had the decency to demand a tip! He wouldn't let us out the boat until we gave him something. Gah! I hate tourist traps!

Following day was more island hopping, over to Positano, my favourite town of the coast! I loved it! Every step I took I wanted to stop and take a photo. It was all so picturesque! We caught a ferry over to Amalfi town and then caught a bus up to Ravello, a little town perched high up the side of the mountain. We made it to Villa Cimbrone where they had a lovely garden with gorgeous marble statues lining the view to the sea. Lovely.

On the last day we went to Naples, the big dangerous city with the mafia! It was a city alright, a little dirty and rough around the edges but typical city to me. I'm not a city girl as you can probably tell. So we spent the entire day just walking the streets, watching our bags and trying to find a place to rest our weary feet and sample pizza in the city where pizza was born. The pizza was certainly divine, and so cheap too after the expensive coastal towns of Amalfi!

So my five days in glorious sunshine came to an end. But, the beauty of London is its close proximity to more sunshine! Going across the channel to Paris this weekend!

Cinque Terre

Spent the best Easter weekend away in Cinque Terre. There was glorious sunshine, delicious seafood and lots of hiking to burn up all those calories!

I stayed in the last village of Cinque Terre in Monterosso. Woke up bright and early and thought I would catch the train to Levanto and hike back to Monterosso on a trail that wouldn't be overrun with tourists. I got caught up with a hardcore Austrian hiking family when I lost my way up a mountain ridge between Levanto and Monterosso. The patriach of the family was training for his 6 week solo hike through Corsica, yes that type of hardcore! He insisted I take a shortcut with the family. Alarm bells should have been ringing when he traced a non-existent trail on my map. So off I went, slipping and sliding down the valley with the path being cleared by said patriach wielding pruning shears. Must say it was exhilarating not following the usual tourist path. So after 4.5hours, I finally made it back to where I started in Monterosso! I grabbed a quick bite to eat on the train and thought I would go to the first town and walk through as many of the villages as possible. After another 4.5 hours I walked the trail connecting Riomaggiore (first town) to Vernazza (fourth town) and called it a day. It was so nice to be outdoors, soaking up the sun and Vernazza, the most picturesque of the five villages was the best place to stop for the day and watch the sunset whilst having dinner in an outdoor cafe.

The next day was likewise beautiful, I finished the rest of the trail between Vernazza and Monterosso and explored another trail to Levanto and ended up at a look out point where I could see all 5 villages along the coast. It was gorgeous.

So I finally put up some of my snapshots of my travels. Yes it's taken a while and I would have kept procrastinating if not for my impending move. My new place won't have internet connection set up yet so am making the most of it right now =)

So here is the link if you want to browse my snapshot collection -
http://web.mac.com/paulinebanh/iWeb/Wanderlust/

Going medieval and oxonian

I've been keeping busy whilst waiting for my new job to start. Took myself off on a day trip to see Warwick Castle, incidentally on the coldest day of the month. The castle was indeed medieval and well preserved with towers and state rooms, a dungeon in the corner and beautiful gardens. I found the highlight to be the peacock garden, was tempted to take photos of the absurd faces people made to entice the peacocks to fan their tails. Here's a tip: bird noises and ga-ga faces don't work. I spent most of the day ducking into cafes and drinking copious amounts of hot tea lest my fingers and toes freeze off from the cold. It was so cold that day it snowed.

So I thought I would learn from that lesson, but I went to Oxford last Friday on another sunless day but luckily for me, Oxford doesn't need sunlight for me to appreciate it's beautiful architecture. The colleges were grand and old. I went on a working tour and was thrilled to be in New College (incidentally, not all that 'new') where they filmed some scenes of Harry Potter. The college and it's chapel were gorgeous. I managed to trespass into Merton College, quite by accident as one of the gates to the garden was open. I didn't realise I was trespassing until I crossed the garden and entered the college grounds and there was a huge sign there. I figured I made it that far...might as well check out the rest of the college =) It's not considered trespassing if you pay the entry fee...which I find quite cheeky, imagine paying to walk onto UNSW campus!

I spent quite a bit of time walking around town with my head craned up. There were some really bizarre gargoyles (or 'grotesques' for a better term as they are not used for drainage) on the buildings. In New College, the grotesques were actually caricatures of fellows of the college! Call me geeky but I really liked Oxford.

It's a long weekend this week! It doesn't make too much difference for me since the past few weeks can be termed one looong weekend for me...but I am heading to Cinque Terre in Italy over this 4 day weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing the gorgeous Italian coast, hiking between the 5 villages and generally soaking up some mediterranean sun! After which, I shall again join the gainfully employed.

My Thinkpad T40 - may it rest in peace

I am going to blame my lack of emails and posts on the untimely death of my laptop. I know it's a poor excuse but it's been strangely liberating not having a laptop and internet connection at home. Not so good when I want to research holiday destinations and read interesting tid bits from family and friends, but that's what the work internet connection is for, right?

Since my last update, I've had a brief foray into the eating habits of the Milanese. Watching the locals down shots of espresso and loading up on yummy pasta, Matt and I literally ate our way through Milan. We only had a weekend but managed to see all the tourist sites including the Last Supper which was awesome, climbed the Duomo (likewise awesome, though Da Vinci wins hands down) and also had fun bothering the sales assistants in the Armani superstore after walking in completely drenched from the rain and proceeding to try on their clothes (me) and not buying anything (me).

Was in Edinburgh for New Year's Eve. It was so disappointing, cold and miserable, I don't even want to talk about it. Suffice to say, street party and fireworks for the Hogmanay festival got cancelled due to gale force winds and rain. Not happy. On a good note, the year can only get better.

I'm still dividing my time between Amsterdam and London, which basically means not being able to properly appreciate either city. Am trying to remedy that situation by staying in Amsterdam this weekend so I can see the canal city in daylight, which believe it or not, I haven't had the chance to do. After that, it's time to be a proper local in my newly adopted city. Not sure what it entails, lots of afternoon teas at swanky hotels would be a good start. I'll go from there...

- PB 4.58pm - hard at work in the office

The Focker 50 and other sound bites

Have been very lax in updating on my whereabouts, not because I have been lazy but bc so much has happened! I'll break it down into palatable sections and try not to bore you all...

The Focker 50
This is the plane I fly every Monday to Amsterdam. I fly back on a twin Focker 50 back to London every Thursday. It's my job, not the flying but the being in Amsterdam bit. Since it's a job, it's not all that much fun but has been nice to see the canal city, albeit only by moonlight. Oh yes, for the unobservant - I got a job! Started a month ago and quite possibly going for a few more months. I would like to be in London more often, in the past month I've only managed to be here for 1 weekend - which conveniently segues to...

First Weekend Away
Was in Nice and Monte Carlo for the weekend with Colin and Ness. Nice was lovely; sunshine, blue skies, the snooty French leading pure bred poodles to poop all over the cobbled streets. Monte Carlo was deliciously decadent, it was dizzying to see just how the other (better) half lives. We were lucky to be there for their National Day so was treated to a huge fireworks display at the port and pictures of Prince Albert adorning all the stores.

Cute Spanish waiters
In Valencia, last weekend. Very cute. Great weather in the south of Europe (thunderstorms in London!) and lots of walking made it a relaxing weekend. I had to suppress a giggle when I heard someone on the street exclaim 'Ay Carumba!', it was to be the only time I would understand Spanish.

Home Sweet Home
Yes I have one. It's a lovely two storey maisonette that I don't see often enough.

Next weekend is Milan! Stay tuned.

I got "sarged"

Unsuccessfully. For those of you who have read the book, The Game, by Neil Strauss, you'll know what I am talking about. For those of you in the dark, maybe the rest of the book title will help: Undercover in the Secret Society of Pickup Artists.

It's an autobiography of a journalist who infiltrated this "Secret Society" and blows apart all the rules and tricks these wanna-be Pickup Artists use to try and pick up (sarge) women. I finished the book last week and distinctly remember shaking my head in wonder and laughing out loud at sections of the book that described in detail the techniques that these men would use to pick up women. 'Lo and behold, last night at the On Anon bar/club in London, Maria and I were the unwilling targets of these very techniques.

It all started with 2 men coming up to us, each was the other's 'wing'. One of them was 'peacocking' by wearing a white fedora mobster style hat. Peacocking is used to draw people's attention, often by looking outrageous, and it also acts as a good opening line to start a conversation. The particular 'opener' the guy who wasn't wearing the hat was, "Do you think my friend looks like Al Capone wearing this hat or does he look stupid?" I personally thought he looked stupid but was too polite to say. They then tried to establish some quick rapport by asking questions eliciting lots of yes responses,this is the 'yes-ladder' technique, "Do you speak English?" My response - "Yes". "High five!", followed by more stupid questions and more juvenile high-fiving action.

The next technique was to ask questions out of the ordinary, ie. not the normal pick up line gambits. The question the Al Capone-wannabe asked was, "What is the most difficult word you can think of in the English language?". "Err...I dunno", was my response. "What word rhymes with mouth?", "South?", "High Five!!"

It was around this time Maria pulled out the best defence of all against these pick-up artists, 'The Fiance'. Sam the Man saved us.

Mixed bathing...and london living

I should add, both mutually exclusive! I had a very eye-opening last few days in Japan. The first of which was at the gorgeous onsen in Takaragawa - Gunma prefecture... The onsen is supposedly the best outdoor onsen in Japan and I must agree it was very impressive. There were 4 outdoor baths, though as with all things steeped in Japanese tradition, the women baths were 1/4 the size and quality of the male baths, so what they did was open the male baths to the women bathers with the condition that women had to bathe with the bath towel on. This is fine in theory, I just wished they had the same standards for the men, who got these tiny little hand towels that either covered the front of back, unfortunately not both. And not even the front very well at that. Luckily men have no qualms strutting about with their asses bared for all to see.

I've always been curious about what a bunch of naked men do in onsens. Now I know. I was lucky enough to have the outdoor baths to myself, that was until a bunch of rowdy men came hooning across the rickety bridge, jumping up and down trying to shake each other off, slapping each other's butts with their little hand towels and taking photos of themselves. So I don't know whether that is normal onsen behaviour for men. I hope not.

It was definitely uncomfortable but the scenery certainly took my mind off all the nekid men there. The onsen was set right beside a gushing river, all around were trees that were just beginning to turn into fall colours, the stone statues and rustic lanterns that dotted the baths just made it all so picturesque and timeless.

The last onsen on my trip was all the way up north in Akita in a little village that seemed far from civilisation. The huts still had straw thatched roofs, the architecture and olden ways of cooking in an irori (fireplace) was still retained. The meals were made of fresh seasonal produce grown right in the valley. The baths were old but my last night bathing in the outdoor pool and lying under the moon and stars was magical.

So back to civilisation! London to be exact. I've been here for a few days and am feeling very comfortable here. I find it all very familiar but of course randomly coming out of an underground station and being confronted by castle walls or a palace here and there certainly make the experience purely British.

So it's my 2nd day of job hunting, a scary prospect being unemployed but luckily I have good friends to doss with (thanks Hung and Colin!) and I'm sure I'll settle right in.

Onsen heaven in Kyushu

I just came back from a week spent in Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. It is onsen heaven down there, with hot springs, sand and mud baths wherever people decide to dig deep enough.

My first port of call was Beppu, a city cluttered with hot spring resorts and the 8 jigoku (hells). I got off the shinkansen and headed straight for Takegawara Bathhouse. This is one of the oldest public baths in the city, its key attraction being the pit of black sand that people willingly get buried in. I changed into the yukata provided and gingerly laid down in the hollow that the old lady attendant had dug out for me. She then shoveled the warm black sand over me and patted it down hard. I was immobile for about 15 minutes and was sweating under the heat. The old lady made sure my forehead was mopped of sweat and kept asking me if everything was ok. After 15 minutes I rose up from the hot sand not unlike those return of the living dead ghouls. That was a fun experience though not particularly relaxing since all I could think about was how much I wanted to move when I couldn't.

From there I caught a bus to my ryokan (Japanese inn) which was also where the Tour of the Hells are. The term hell is used to describe the boiling ponds of water, heated by the underground volcanic activity. Each hell has a distinctive characteristic, though some seemed really tacky, like the hell where crocodiles are bred or where some mechanical hippo greet the tourists. I only made it to one, the Blue Hell which was really picturesque. In Japanese they called it the Sea Jigoku bc the water is a bright blue and there are billows of steam coming from it. That was a nice one but I didn't see the point in paying to see other 'hells' just because the water was a different colour.

For that entire week I visited at least 3 different onsens a day. Each of these onsens have indoor and outdoor baths of which I would laze in for a few hours at a time. I have never been so clean in my life! Some of the more memorable onsens was visiting a local mud bath where all the elderly women there had really beautiful skin. I guess there are definitely therapeutic benefits to soaking in the hot hot mud pool, hopping out to let the mud dry, then hopping back into the pool again. I only did that 3 times before the mud pool just got too hot. My skin felt baby smooth after that though.

Another cool one was at this 5 star place called Suginoi Palace. There were hilltop views, terraced pools, steam room, aromatherapy bath, jacuzzi, hot tubs, the absolute works. Felt very pampered after that one. It seemed I would not be able to top it but I did - with my next stop at Kurokawa Onsen up in the mountains. I stayed in a Japanese ryokan in the middle of the woods where there were different huts that you bathe on your own, or communal outdoor pools. It was all very relaxing until I accidentally stepped into an outdoor bath that was for mixed male & female bathing. I couldn't get out of there fast enough! Reading the English descriptions of the different baths that night over dinner, I realised I had stepped into the "Mixed Promiscuous Bath"! oops.

The Kurokawa Onsen area was in the town of Aso, with the largest active volcano caldera in the world. Unfortunately on both the days that I visited the area I was told the poisonous gas levels from the crater was too high so I couldn't hike up there. Since I had originally scheduled a full day for hiking I found myself at somewhat of a loose end, so I took a few trains out to Fukuoka, one of the main cities in Kyushu. It was actually really nice being out in the city after being in small towns for the past few days. I booked myself into a Capsule Hotel, something I have always wanted to try in Japan. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I found it all very accommodating. They devoted 3 floors for the women customers, the first floor contained the capsules, the next was the bath area (complete with sauna and pool) and the third floor was the relaxation area where I lounged about in the reclining chairs reading and watching tv. The capsule was certainly novel, I chose the top capsule so I had to clammer my way up and slip into the compartment. I stretched out and found it surprisingly roomy. There was a tv and radio in there, filled with the usual Japanese tv shows plus a random p0rn channel. I was so tired from all the traveling I did that day I was out like a light.

On Sat I took a day trip out to Tokyo to do some shopping and people watching. I always seem to think I will like Tokyo a little more each time I go, but it never seems to be the case. Tokyo is just too big to properly appreciate without spending at least a week there and the people seem perpetually in a rush. I was only there a few hours and already felt tired and harried. I went to Harajuku which was a little more fun, lots of people watching though not as outrageous as it used to be.

Tomorrow I'm heading up north, a few hours past Tokyo to some famous onsens. The first is to Nyuto Onsen in Akita, and the next to Takaragawa Onsen in Gunma. Takaragawa is famous for its river hot springs, whereas Nyuto is in a secluded valley of hot springs and rustic inns. They both sound relaxing and the perfect way to unwind before heading to the hustle and bustle of London.

This will be my last update from Japan. It's been wonderful here, I've loved every minute and I'm sad to be leaving. Thanks Dwayne for being such a fantastic host! =)

Back to Nagoya

Arrived into Tokyo yesterday and been bumbling about like a tourist all the way to Nagoya. Two years has effectively wiped most of my Japanese language skills and navigation sense from memory so it's been interesting finding my way around. It feels like home though, albeit surreal and transitory.

Not much has changed, though I had forgotten about the crazy Japanese dress sense. The Japanese are a very uniquely stylish bunch and it always surprises me how well put together their disparate styles are. Only the japanese men and women can pull off their funky looks with such confidence and panache. The weather right now is hot and muggy, but since the calendar dictates it to be Autumn, all the knee high boots, heavy plaid and woollens have been pulled out. Here I am traipsing about in my thongs (or as Dwayne keeps correcting me in exasperation- my flip flops), shapeless skirt and bonds t-shirt, looking distinctly hot and flustered, whilst the Japanese sail along without breaking a sweat. How do they do it?!

I'm heading to Osaka today to cool off at an aptly named place called Spa World. It's like a water fun park with bathing sensibilities. I have planned an onsen holiday for the 2 weeks that I'm here, visiting as many famous onsens as I can, so even though it's hot here, I'll be constantly squeaky clean.

Finding Nemo

Lady Elliot Island Eco-resort, Great Barrier Reef

Lady Elliot Island is only one of 3 islands right on the coral cay. The coral lagoon in front of our cabin was inhabited by the most beautiful marine life. I searched for nemo, but unfortunately didn't find him. His other friends though were more than accommodating as I chased them around the lagoon and stalked the poor turtles at sunset.

My favourite memories of this week-long vacation:

1. Finding myself being circled by a school of bright yellow fish, I didn't know which way to turn in the sea of glittering yellow,
2. Chasing a group of leather jacket fish around the lagoon,
3. Sighting a school of Picasso Trigger Fish, very aptly named for the abstract strokes of bright blue, green and yellow across their body,
4. Floating on the calm surface of the ocean after completing my final scuba dive and seeing a pod of dolphins in the distance,
5. A manta ray gliding gracefully below me, seemingly out of nowhere,
6. Going down to 18m for my dive, it was so strange looking up to the surface to find the faint glimmer of sunlight so far away,
7. Enjoying the sun setting one night and suddenly spotting a turtle popping its head out of the water. As I followed its journey across the lagoon, I saw another turtle following in its wake, and then another, and another... All up there were 7 turtles swimming along as though on a conveyor belt. I was so happy to see the one turtle, let alone the 7 I ended up seeing that night!

It was hard to wind down for the first few days, I have never experienced such a relaxing vacation. Lazing about soon became second nature, especially with the abundant good food and sunshine. My days consisted of lounging on the sunchair in good weather, or retreating back to my room when the sun got too hot; reading a good book, watching the waves break on the outer reef and the tides rise and fall in the lagoon. I'm not capable of rewiring my brain to cope with normal life yet, it's just as well my sedentary lifestyle can continue for the next few weeks...