Landed in Narita no problem yesterday, but there was a traffic jam on the ramp, probably due to various complications from Taifuu 13-ban. We were parked a while until our parking spot became available. The kokunai connection boarded smoothly on time, but again, we were beset with ground delays in actually getting from the gate to the runway. The typhoon seems to have turned East out to sea after drenching central Honshuu, so it is unlikely that it will have any ill effects in store for me in Hakodate today.
Archive for the 'Travel' Category
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I fly out tomorrow to Sapporo. Hopefully all goes well. It will be a short trip, this time busing and training around Southwest Hokkaido (Hakodate and Matsumae) over the long weekend. I’m not really sure if I’ll have web access to post while on the road, but I’ll try whenever possible.
Altbiers are old-style beers that use top-fermenting yeasts like ales, but the yeasts are active at warmer temperatures. This altbier from Onuma Brewery in Southwest Hokkaido has a light malt flavor, and a bitter note, typical of the variety. There is not much of a sweet/fruity/flowery flavor from the hops – only the bitter. The color and flavor is rather similar to a pale ale, like Niseko Beer’s Canadian Ale. The initial flavor is dry and bright, with the bitter in the middle, and the maltiness in the finish. The carbonation is low. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Onuma Brewery Alt’
I forgot a pair of Oakley Ballistic shorts on Maui at Dr. Kenny’s. I also lost a new bottle of allergy eye drops and forgot a four-pack of Maui Brewing Coconut Porter in the fridge. I know I’ll eventually get the shorts back, but in the meantime I have to pick up another pair of something. Herein lies the bug in the plan of “packing light and washing in between rides” – forgetting the stuff that’s hanging out to dry.
The ferry back was much smoother than the ride out. After the initial motion leaving Kahului harbour, the ship was very smooth and there was no weirdness from the following sea. About half-an-hour out of Honolulu, the helmsman changed hte throttle position or something, and a fairly pronounced vibration and noise began – not sure if the engines weren’t running in their “sweet spot”, or maybe one was set slightly different from the other and the difference set up a harmonic vibration.
I must sat that the operation is well done, especially the ground crew that checks in passengers and vehicles, directs them to the appropriate waiting area, and guides them aboard into the the parking dock. Everyone we met up to the stairways leading to the passenger deck were courteous and professional, and most importantly, nice. Continue reading ‘Smooth Sailing’
Back aboard the Alakai at Kahului harbour bound for Honolulu. We had four good days of hot sunny weather for mountain biking on Maui. On Thursday, we went up to “Little Whistler” in the hills near Makawao. Friday was an impromptu jump session in out host Dr. Kenny’s backyard. Saturday and today was more grueling pain and suffering up in the Makawao trail network, with some jump training to wrap things up today before we headed back to pack up and head to the dock. Supposedly, the trip back is the worst one. There is a following sea, so the behavior of the ship becomes a weird wallowing yaw. Also, because it is night, there are no visual cues like the horizon. I might have ot go out on deck and keep my eyes on the coastal lights if I get nauseous. Here’s hoping for the best!
It’s nearly 07:00, and we’re aboard the Alakai bound for Kahului Harbor now. Security, check-in, and boarding were no problem. The inside is really nice, clean and comfortable – It is new, so time will tell how good it will look after a bunch of use. I thought we were supposed to be sailing by now… We were one of the first ones aboard. Since we got a big group, we have a 6-seat lounge area with a table and electrical outlets. As you can tell, the onboard wireless internet does in fact work properly, since I’m posting this real-time.
There is a bit of shaking going on, kind-of an up and down motion, like when they load baggage aboard an aircraft. It wasn’t there earlier when vehicle loading was going on, so I’m not sure what it is. Engines?
I’m going to have my $3.00 USD pastry and raspberry iced tea now.
Off to Maui tomorrow with Jeff, Sara, Ckucke, and Root for some Upcountry MTB trail riding. We’ll load up Jeff’s Taco and ride the early Super Fairy over, then catch the late one back on Sunday. With any luck, we’ll be riding all four days, so stay tuned for some interesting tales of adventure, suffering, and woe! We’ll be staying up there in Dr. Kenny’s downstairs, so the trails will be close at hand. I got all my stuff for the ride – I just have to pack it all into one gearbag tonight and head to Jeff’s by 04:00 tomorrow morning!
Fast service is something I generally don’t expect from a government agency, but I was pleasantly surprised when I sent in my passport for renewal. It had slipped my mind with all that has been going on recently, but I realized that my old passport expires next year in February. That would still be 6-months good if/when we go to Whistler for mountain biking in July/August, but it would be too short for Japan in September. There would be insufficient time to get the renewal after Whistler, so I needed to get it beforehand. The turnaround was supposed to be 6-8 weeks, and that was a little tight considering the July/August trip. I grabbed the renewal form from the Downtown Post Office, got photos from Sears, and sent everything in on the 4th. Continue reading ‘Customer Service’
So anyone thats a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations must be familiar with the Vietnam episode where the guide takes him to a remote village and says about the dish of the day, “I think in your language you call it Squeezo.” Theres been a lot of chatter about Squeezo/Squeezel, but it got forgotten until I recently had a conversation with someone about Kopi Luwak, the expensive coffee that comes from Southeast Asia, famous because its pre-digested by Civets (that is, its eaten as a berry, then crapped out and collected as a bean). After looking over that Wikipedia article about Kopi Luwak, Dave wondered aloud if the Civet was the elusive Squeezo, as the Civet is a common food item in that region. Reminding him that the stew had pokey quills of doom, it launched The Search fo Squeezo…