Ine Funaya, Amanohashidate and Miyama

We went on an adventure yesterday. A couch trip to new places we hadn't hear of before. It left from the other side of the Kyoto Station at 8:00 and we needed to be there by 7:45.

We took a taxi.

The coach was full. There were people from various bits of China, India, a smattering of people from Western Europe, 4 Australians (including us). No Japanese people and, interestingly, no Americans.

It took a couple of hours, driving north west through the mountains, to get to our first stop, Ine. Ine is a traditional fishing village, made up of two storey wooden houses. People live upstairs, boats live downstairs. We started out on a 30 minute boat trip around the bay, feeding prawn flavoured potato straws to the seagulls. I have a bit of a problem, feeding prawn flavoured snacks to wild birds. The wild birds in question had no such problem. And neither did the black kites who accompanied them.

Lindsey's fingers got a bit squashed by the claws of a black kite who wanted the prawn straw she was holding out to a seagull! The seagulls take the chips, apparently gently, in their beaks. The kites do not!

Then we went round to look at the fishing village itself.

Back on the bus and off we went to Amanohashidate which is famous for its dragon shaped sandbar, its temple complex and for the magnificent view from the top of the mountain. It was Sunday. It was a beautiful day. It was crowded. It took nearly 40 minutes to queue for the chairlift to the top of the mountain.

We didn't have much time to play with and we wanted lunch, a loo stop and a look at the bridge, the sandbar and the temple. Time was going to be very tight. So we went to the top, admired the view and then queued to come back down again.

The chair lift is steep, but it is not very high. It you fell off your chair you probably wouldn't come to much harm. The chances of you falling off, though, are very slight. Apart from me, coming back down, getting on. My bag got stuck behind me as I went to sit down, the bloke supervising slowed the chair down slightly. The combination meant that I nearly missed the seat. Fortunately, I didn't but I was a bit hunched over on the way down. Lindsey nearly missed her seat altogether. She was behind me and was watching me almost failing to sit on a perfectly nice chair - and forgot about her chair 🤣

Going up

View from the top

Coming back down

You could use the monorail instead.
Some people went up in the chair
and came down in the monorail

We had lunch in a cafe down at sea level. I accidentally ordered two lunches. I asked for the crumbed pork and the picture showed pork slices and salad. I thought it needed some rice and maybe some curry sauce, so I ordered that too. Alas, when the food was brought out it turned out the pork was part of a set, with rice, pickles, miso soup, katsu sauce, other tasty morsels. I really didn't need the curry rice. Really didn't. But Lindsey and I used the curry sauce since it was there and paid for, and very much enjoyed it.

We had a quick look at the bridge to the sandbar and around the temple complex. I would have liked more time there. We didn't get to the sandbar at all and didn't have a proper look at the temple.  I would have liked to spend more time at the top. It is easy enough to get to by train, though. If I find myself in Kyoto again with a spare day I might just go out and spend it there

By this time I was ready to call it a day and head back to Kyoto. But we still had Miyama to visit. Miyama is an out of the way traditional thatched village about an hour and a half from Amanohashidate. 

I stopped in the shop to buy us ice creams. Lindsey disappeared. The lady in the shop warned me that the black kites might fancy my ice creams. I tell you - if a black kite wants my ice cream, it can have it. I am not arguing with a determined kite. Fortunately, no kites appeared demanding I give up my snack. Also, no Lindsey appeared.

I ate mine while I was looking for Lindsey. Her ice cream was melting, melting, melting and dripping all over my t-shirt and. my trousers. Eventually I ate what was left of that one too. I didn't really have anything else I could do with it. Japan does not have public rubbish bins sitting about and it's a bit rude to throw your melting ice cream into the river or the paddocks or onto the path.

Lindsey had to buy her own ice cream when she returned from her walk around the thatched village. She would have liked more time there to explore properly. I'm not sure how we would get there on our own. I think you need to be on a tour or in a car. It is an actual village with actual people living in it but it is a bit out of the way, there is no train and I didn't see a bus stop. Although I wasn't looking for one so I may have missed it.

We got back to the Kyoto station around 6pm. We had a wander around a very busy Don Quijote before taxiing back to the hotel. We visited the local Family Mart for some sandwiches and snacks. It was a good day.

I have finally found some corn soup. It was available at breakfast in the hotel today. It was Maggi's finest out of a machine, so not "proper" soup. But it was good enough to count as a win for me.

We are moving on today. A bit of a pity. I like it here. But I'm sure I'll like the next place too. I haven;t been there before. Another adventure.

In Japan (again)

We got to the airport in Cairns exactly three hours before the departure time. We also got there at about the same time as several bus loads of young people's groups arrived. Fortunately,  the group leaders and the Jetstar staff kept everyone organised and we all managed to get through checkin, immigration and security with plenty of time to make our flight.

The flight left on time.

It arrived in Osaka 30 minutes ahead of schedule!!!

The QR code system they have for entry into Japan works remarkably efficiently.

By 8:00 we were in our room in the airport hotel, having checked in and raided the nearby Lawsons, with the required onigiri, wine and snacks.

Sparkling water, wine, onigiri.
First night supplies in. Japan

All was good.

We had breakfast in the hotel. It is not cheap but it is a well-provisioned all you can eat buffet. So we ate as much was we possibly could. Steamed vegetables to start, because our diet the previous day had been light on real food. I had mackerel with mine. Lindsey had scrambled eggs and a few other tasty things. She was very miffed that the bacon was stewed rather than fried. On the other hand - she did have chips on her plate. I went back for seconds. Rice and curried beef this time. Lindsey and I both finished up with apple custard, yoghurt and blueberries.  

I was a bit miffed that there wasn't any corn soup. Onion and miso were on offer but no corn. In fact, I have failed to find corn soup anywhere. Not in any of the variety of convenience stores I have looked in, not in either of the supermarkets I've checked. I wondered if I was on the wrong side of a Corn Soup Demilitarised Zone. Austin thinks it might be because Japan is moving into summer, which tends to be hot and humid. If there is no corn soup in Gifu next weekend, I shall be forced to return in the (northern) winter.

My Suica card, which wasn't working last time I was here, has been fixed by a helpful gentleman in the Osaka Airport station.

We boarded the train to Kyoto.

I tried to add my travel bankcard to my apple wallet. Computer said no. Lindsey asked why I didn't have a Wise card. I used to have one but never used it so closed it. I decided to open a new one. Tried to transfer money from my bank account onto it. Bank said no - and froze my card for suspected fraud. Nothing for it but to call the bank. From a train. In Japan. Bank person was very helpful but confused by why I would be wanting to open an account with a different institution while on a train in Japan. Because YOUR travel card won 't integrate with MY digital wallet. And I prefer to make contactless payments when I can. This seemed to make sense to her.

She unfroze my card although warned me that if it was a scam I wouldn't get my money back. This is good. I probably won't need to use that card while I'm here but it would be annoying not to be able to if I did need it

We arrived at the next hotel too early to checkin so dropped our bags in their care and went back to the Kyoto station to look at some shops. Lindsey wanted to check out a 3 Coins store and also to visit the electronics store. My Suica card worked beautifully on the trains. We found our way around. Navigated the subway successfully. Even managed to find our way back after playing with the shops.

We had dinner in an Italian restaurant and are now whiling away a peaceful evening. 

We are staying in the Oakwood hotel in Oike, about 3km from the Kyoto main station. We are here purely because of the brand. It's part of the same family as the Lyf hotels, under the ASR umbrella. Oike is not really part of the main tourist drag, although there are, of course, tourists and visitors. I like it. The hotel is comfortable and has a proper Kyoto feel about it. And the area has lots of little laneways, some shrines, lots of eating places, shops. I haven't seen many tourist "gift" shops. We are heading off on a day tour tomorrow and then we are moving on on Monday. I am hoping to find time on Monday morning before we go to have a look at a little shrine just down the road from here. 

I found this in one of the shops

It was very tempting to buy it. But I know I would never have built it, so I didn't succumb

Cairns

You find me by the pool at the Coral Tree  Inn in Cairns. We have just had breakfast. Lindsey has gone for a morning walk. I have not 😃

This little table is just outside our room

My "office" view

We usually come to Cairns the evening before our lunchtime flight to Japan. Yesterday, however, the only direct flights were at 6 am or 7:30 pm. The daytime flights had long lay overs either in Sydney or in the Gold Coast.  I had no intention of catching a 6 am flight, didn't particularly want to arrive at the hotel in Cairns at close to midnight and definitely didn't want to spend the better part of the day kicking around in an airport terminal. So I came up on Wednesday afternoon and Lindsey took an evening flight after work.

That gave us a whole day to play in Cairns yesterday.  So, of course, we escaped.

Not far, though. We took the Skyrail to Kuranda. Lindsey has done it several times before. I've done it once, with Lindsey and Jim. And it rained. Which I guess is reasonable in a rainforest.

It did not rain yesterday. It was not too hot. It was not humid. It was a perfect day for wandering around in a rainforest. We went on a short, ranger guided tour where he told us about the trees and the insects and the animals and the local history. We inspected the Barron Falls. We saw the train. We had lunch in an old style cafe and wandered around the shops in Kuranda. We could have come back on the train but instead came back on the Skyrail. It was a lovely day.

We wandered down to the seafront for dinner and went back to Little Sister where we ate the last time we were both in Cairns. We considered having the Moreton Bay bugs and a large salad to share but then saw that they have a degustation menu, which, of course, we had to have! (They also offer a vegan degustation menu, which I must remember should I ever come to Cairns with Freyja and Simon)

To start:

Kingfish sashimi in a chilli sauce

Duck spring rolls

Pulled short rib beef on betel leaves

And then:

Pork belly lettuce wrap

Followed by

the best butter chicken I've had 
in a long, long while

Jasmine rice

There was also a chocolate panna cotta but I completely forgot to record it for posterity.

It is tempting to stay here by the pool. But we need to head to the airport in 40 minutes or so. I had better make sure I am ready (I am pretty much ready but no need for unnecessary rushing.)

Weekend

So I got my quiet weekend, more or less. 

I spent Saturday building my Ikea step ladder (only small, I have no wish to be running up and down a full sized ladder; also - have nowhere to store one) and drinking tea and watching the harbour and generally pottering around.

Sunday saw the return of the Docklands Farmers' Market. It was unfortunate that it was quite a rainy morning but that didn't seem to deter people. The market ran from 10 to 3 and the stalls were set up along Harbour Esplanade between the ferry port and the Central Pier tram stop. There was a free ferry running between Yarra's Edge and the market. There was also a floating bar from midday. Some of the stall holders who go to Alphington had sent a stall. There were lots of fish stalls, vegetables, fruit, meat, small goods, cheese, other food related stalls. Not much in the way of craft stalls. I couldn't buy much because I am heading to Cairns tomorrow and then on to Japan for two weeks. I did buy some apples, mandarins and limes. I bought a few vegetables and potatoes, some hummus and pitta.

I hope it keeps the number of stalls and the number of buyers. It was a fun and useful market

I was very excited to find these. For those who don't know, Bramleys are a cooking apple which turn to snow when they are cooked. They are readily bought in the UK and we had a couple of Bramley trees in Tupton (along with a couple of eating apple trees). I haven't seen them in Australia. I did plant a miniature Bramley tree in Eilish Court but wasn't there long enough after I planted it to get any fruit. I bought a few at the market, which I have cooked and put in the freezer.

Fruit bowl on the dining table

 

I wandered over to Spencer Street in the afternoon to pick up a couple of things to take to Japan and for a wander around. I might have bought a couple of pairs of tracksuit pants from Kathmandu. They were, of course, reduced from their usual price. I would not pay full price for Kathmandu tracksuit pants!

They have been tarting up the area around the ferry port

These had been small, grassy knolls. They look better now.

I wish they would put some park benches and picnic tables along here. There aren't many places you can just sit and watch the water along Harbour Esplanade. There are lots along the Newquay promenade and the Victoria Harbour walk.

Whiskey was again showing signs of constipation over the weekend. This was something of a worry, given that I am going away tomorrow for two weeks. I really didn't want to go back to Lort Smith, if it could be avoided. So I checked the Your Home Vet website and found they had an appointment for 3:15 yesterday afternoon. I had an appointment in Fitzroy with my podiatrist at 1pm but I thought I had time to do both. And I did! My feet are now ready for a trip to Japan. And I was easily back home in time for the vet to arrive.

Your Home Vet is a small enterprise, with one vet and one nurse. They cover most of inner metropolitan Melbourne. And they were lovely. Brandy relocated under the bed, just in case they had designs on him. They did not. Whiskey just sat and let them poke him, prod him and inject him. They were, it must be said, very gentle with him. The drugs they gave him appeared to help. About 30 minutes after they had left he was chomping into his bowl of biscuits like there was no tomorrow. And he didn't cry once while they were here. No need of the cat carrier. No need for Ubers or taxis. No stress.  I will definitely use them again.

What I've Been Doing This Week

Monday was Lindsey's birthday. I went to The Fox for a birthday dinner. After dinner, instead of walking to the tram stop, I walked in the opposite direction to the Victoria Park railway station and came home by train. I hadn't done very much during the day and thought a bit of a walk would be a Good Thing.

On Tuesday I met Wendy for lunch. There was a bit of confusion about where we were meeting. At the Food Hall on Collins Street near my place. Alas - Wendy thought I meant that food hall over there. I meant this food hall over here. Fortunately, we worked it out and eventually managed to have lunch.

We went into town, intending to visit Daiso and Kmart. Alas - the Daiso next to Kmart was closed for stocktaking. So we went to Kmart anyway. I had something to pick up. Then Wendy went home to her place and I came home to mine. I went to the supermarket for a few supplies and then took the opportunity of a lovely afternoon to sit by the harbour for a few minutes to watch the water and the boats.

On Wednesday I went into work for the morning to cover someone who was sick. While I was there I bought a small tool kit in Kmart, which has a pair of pliers, some Allen keys, some screw driver bits to attach to the screwdriver handle - and some other things that I am not sure what to do with. In the evening I went to my Japanese class.

On Thursday I took the tram out to Ikea to collect a small step ladder, stopping on the way at Bunnings for some screws. I am struggling to shorten the screws which came with the cupboard door handles, which themselves have holes which are almost infinitesimally too small for the existing holes in the doors. This "small" project is starting to become rather troublesome!

I met Lindsey, Ian, Freyja and Simon in Henry and the Fox in the evening. I have to say that my burger wasn't as good as my steak frittes had been the week before. The chips were good but the burger was a bit - uninteresting. It was just a patty with cheese on a bun with a couple of bits of pickle and some salsa. Australian burgers nearly always come with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion included. Without them, the burger was a bit bland and dry. I'll order salad on the side if I go again.

Friday saw me borrowing Lindsey's car from the flat and then driving to Ballarat. It was a glorious day for an adventure. I met Pat at Eclectic Tastes for brunch. I had not heard of this place before and it was rather nice. It's by the old cemetery, near the lake and the food was lovely. Pat had an enormous waffle with ice cream and toffee banana. I had corn and zucchini fritters which were delicious.

Then Pat went off for her afternoon activities. I visited the Wendouree Bunnings in search of more pliers and more screws, drove around the lake which we hadn't visited last weekend, and then went to Mount Clear to visit Amanda, my Hairdresser. Then I took the car back to the flat and came home.

So I have been busy this week. I am quite looking forward to a quiet weekend.

In the meantime, this is what my housemates have been doing:

Very busy, as you see!

Docklands, at sunset on Thursday: