Today was for one of those necessary evils when you run off deep in some direction, only to have to come back; backtracking. I had planned to get most of it out of the way in one day, but that meant for an early start, and nothing to the day but sitting on trains, and changing trains. In the planning process, I had found an option that would let ( Read more... )

It was a slow-paced morning this morning. I had an 8am train, but the station is just a few minutes’ walk form this hotel, and not having to pack before I left meant for a relaxed morning, a slow breakfast at a decent time, and a brief amble to the train. Having it so easy, though, was not to be the case, as I discovered a new piece to the frozen ( Read more... )

After a refreshing night’s sleep I awoke to a very chilly morning. Not that you could notice it in the hotel room, mind you, but my trusty internet weather site told me it was -8 outside. It was slated to be a slow morning for me, since my train didn’t leave Hakodate til 12:30. In keeping with the spirit of a slow morning where there was such a ( Read more... )

Set an alarm to get up when you’ve just changed timezones twice in as many days (even for only an hour at a time) and if you’re prone to angst, you’ll find yourself waking up a lot in the morning. Add to it a change of hemispheres and the day length issues that come with that unless you’re close to th equinoxes, and you have the start to my day. ( Read more... )

My day started at a very convenient location just across the highway entrance to the Gold Coast airport. It was very pricey for what it a basic motel, but its convenience cannot be beaten, I saved on any airport transfers because the place was walkable to and from the airport in under 10 minutes. Its other convenience factor was the fact that it ( Read more... )

Well, I’m about to begin my 7th trip to Japan. This will be the first one in winter, which is the time I think will most test the liveability of the place for me. That isn’t to say I enjoy a Japanese summer, with the oppressive humidity and the like, but with the use of air conditioning, and careful travelling, your exposure to that is limited. ( Read more... )

Well, I'm back, and settled into home, and about to go back off to work. It was really nice to spend time with old friends, play on old in-jokes, and even reduce of few of my prejudices about a city I fear I will never quite be truly at home in (LA, for the curious ones ( Read more... )

Not being my usual travel all over the place kind of trip, I don’t have a host of new things happening all the time. Some things are pretty routine, and essentially familial, playing “Uncle Wormey” and the like, coupled with just plain getting to know Las Vegas. But there’s still the odd road trip on the cards, and since my last update I have ( Read more... )

So, my second and final day in Los Angeles, I was set to my own devices. I decided to go for a walk down to Santa Monica, so after looking at information on buses, in case I should need them, I set out on foot from Ben’s place for what I was told was “a couple of miles” walk down to the pier. Almost immediately, I made a wrong turn in what ( Read more... )

So, I’m in the United States, West coast style ( Read more... )