Archive for the 'Travel' Category

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Whistler MTB – Day 1

Published on November 5, 2007 in bike, Food, Review and Travel by risu. Closed

Okay, I know it’s taken forever for me to finish writing up all of this to post, but I hope you enjoy reading it! 

Friday, 27 July 2007

Cloudy, 30C+ still

Waiting at HNLAC 048 to YVR was supposed to roll out at 20:45, so I had a 4-hour window to get home from work, clean up, and head to the airport. 2-hours to get home and get to the airport 2-hours early? No problem. Jeff and Sara had beat me there. They were gateside when I was waiting in line to check in. I got ticketed, paid the $43 USD/$50 CAD bike case ransom, and headed for the gate. Continue reading ‘Whistler MTB – Day 1’

Boots

Published on October 15, 2007 in Review and Travel by risu. Closed

Salomon delamination!The old Salomon boots died in Japan this September.  The EVA midsole crumbled, leaving the rubber outsole detached from the upper back to about the ball of my foot.  They stayed together long enough for me to get back to Hawaii without the sole becoming completely detached and making me look like a Charlie Chaplin character.  Age was the factor here, not wear.  The outsole was not heavily worn and hadn’t become hard with age yet.  The Gore-Tex was still leak-proof and the leather was fine.  The rubberized scuff-patch on the toes had started to peel and crack over a year ago.  I picked up a pair of Danners for $140 to replace the Salomons, but thusfar haven’t tested them – hopefully they won’t be as slippery on snow and ice as the slick-as-$h!t Salomons were. Continue reading ‘Boots’

Bitch!

Published on September 20, 2007 in rant and Travel by risu. Closed

Okay, why is it that in a country as supposedly “culturally polite” as Japan is supposed to be, when teen to twenty-something girls get on a fricking plane, they forget the simple niceties of “sumimasen” or even the common courtesy of just keeping their shit under control.  I swear, after I got seated on JO 074 to come back to HNL from NRT on Monday, I got smacked in the arm or head by at least 5 handbags and 2 shopping bags without a single apology.  WTF?!  Where the heck were you all when they called for the ghetto seats “row 50 and higher”?  You rush the gate like lemmings when they call for pre-boarding of the executive club members, and parents with little kids. 

And what on earth are you doing buying shit from the duty-free store before you go to Hawaii anyway?  I can see on your way home, but going?  Are you going to use that new Coach handbag, Chanel whatever, or whatever booze in Hawaii?

Dammit!  Get away from me… even if you are fricking cute!  …and have CT… and VPL… and exposed midriff…   and just smell really nice…

JDM

Published on September 20, 2007 in car and Travel by risu. Closed

I got back from Japan on Monday morning, but have been too busy to post anything yet – and I still have to post Whistler MTB stuff too!  Anyway, here are a few tidbits for the car-fans out there.

The most obviously numerous cars I saw out East were Toyota Vitzs and Suzuki Sprints.  The Vitz is known on the USDM as the “Yaris 3-door”, but occurs on the JDM as a 5-door only, and is not available with a M/T.  Those up North of the border can get the Yaris in both 3 or 5-door versions (dammit!).  The Toyota Belta 4-door sedan was fairly common also.  This is available on the USDM as the “Yaris 4-door sedan”.  This car replaces the Platz  (USDM Echo) on the JDM. Continue reading ‘JDM’

Layover

Published on September 16, 2007 in rant and Travel by risu. Closed

Oh well.  I was hoping to maybe change the kokunai leg of my return flight today, but everything is full – so full that they announced it on the radio.  Today is a National Day (“take care of old people day” or something), so everyone who came up for the long weekend is going back to wherever this afternoon.  My flight out is at 13:00 or so, so I get into NRT at around 14:50.  My flight to HNL isn’t until 21:00!  Maybe I’ll try and catch the 18:00 flight and get in earlier – that one shouldn’t be full.  I’m sure Ckucke will be surprised if I call him before 07:00 for a pick-up!

Oyaji ni Naritakunari

Published on September 16, 2007 in rant and Travel by risu. Closed

Okay, I hope this comes out looking how it’s supposed to, since this is a JIS keyboard and all…  Anyway, I just got back into Sapporo after travelling around the Shiretoko-hantou, Abashiri, and Asahikawa for the past few days.  Since this has been life out of a minimal kit, this has probably been the dirtiest I’ve felt in Japan ever.  I was only able to pack a pair of shorts and some DPM trousers and 2 T-shirts other than the one I was wearing on Wednesday night.  It was fairly hot every day, probably around 25C and sunny, so with all the hiking about, in one day a shirt was ruined with funk. Continue reading ‘Oyaji ni Naritakunari’

TMJ

Published on September 11, 2007 in rant and Travel by risu. Closed

…well, TMD actually (go wikipedia it!)  I ate a Ba-le sandwich for lunch yesterday, and noticed on the drive home that my jaw felt stiff and odd on one side.  Dinner and breakfast were difficult to eat – not really from the chewing, but from not being able to open my mouth wide enough.  It even hurts a little when I try to talk.  Hope this doesn’t cause any great issues on the trip…

I’ll be working half a day today then head to the airport to catch JO 079 HNL-NRT.

Tondeike!

Published on September 10, 2007 in Culture and Travel by risu. Closed

Heading out to Japan tomorrow afternoon.  Yeah, I know – I haven’t posted stuff about the Whistler MTB trip yet!  I got a lot of it done, but I want to put it up all at once so it’s all chronological and not broken up by other posts. 

I’ll be catching an overnight bus to Utoro a couple of hours after my plane arrives in Chitose, so whatever I have when I get off the plane is what I’ll have to deal with lugging around the woods for the next 4 days!  I’ll overnight there then head to Rausu where I’ll overnight.  There will be some onsen along the way, I think some unimproved outdoor ones too!  Not sure if nay of the overnight places will have onsen though.  I’ll head to Abashiri the next day, then head back to Asahikawa for the night.  I will return to Sapporo the following evening and fly back here the evening after.

I have a very minimal kit this time, so everything is packed in a small klettersack.  I’m hoping the weather is cool so I don’t get all sweaty – I have a pair of BDU shorts in case it gets warm.  I won’t have any time to do laundry when I get back to Sapporo, so I will be wearing the least stinky stuff on the plane ride back.