Chuck and I are participating in this year’s art tour.
We are number 14 on the official map available on their website.
https://www.southrockarttour.com
There will be a selection of my original watercolour paintings, prints and art cards.
Hope to see you next weekend.
We’ve made it to our new home, but it will take some time to fine tune it. In the meantime we’ll continue to post and you can look forward to changes in format and style.
After 21 years, with over a year of technical difficulties, in their last email to me Typepad threw up their hands in defeat:
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Five days ago, Typepad let all their clients know that the platform will be shut down September 30th, meaning all data will have to be migrated to a new hosting site. I am in the proccess of doing just that and will let you know the new address before the 3oth. Then it will be time to play massive blog catch up. Thanks for your patience.
Took the shin (bullet train) back to Yokohama. We booked seats on the correct side to see Mr. Fuji. There were clear blue skies before and after Fujiyama station, but the mountain was socked in. I’m glad we had our glimpse on the first train. Back at the Grace Hotel we had an upgraded room that included traditional Japanese breakfast.
It cost less than our first night in an adequate room. It’s all about timing and what’s happening in the city.
The afternoon took us to a larger Uniqlo and a delightful store called Loft. My regret is that I didn’t spend more time there to shop for Japanese drawing and gel pens. Artists will understand. We had dinner at restaurant with the locals. The menu in pictures or plastic models of the offerings worked well for us.
Breakfast was an experience. We were asked if we wanted rice with fish or without. I was expecting a single fish draped across the bowl. Wrong. There were hundreds of tiny fish with little black eyeballs. They didn’t have much taste or texture, just added to the aesthetic lol.
Speaking of little fish, rather than being packed into the subway like sardines as we already had that experience in Kyoto, we took a taxi to the port. Boarding the ship was a breeze. We’ve taken many cruises, but this smaller ship was exceptional.
We went for an afternoon walk in this beautiful part of Yokohama. Chuck settled on a park bench while I walked the town looking for an art supply shop to no avail.
The ship was scheduled for two nights in Tokyo so we booked a full day tour for the second day. It made no sense to be so close and not see this epic city.
We visited Tokyo Tower for expansive views. It wasn’t disorienting enough to be at that height, but throw in wavy carpet plus clear glass floor panels to look straight down.
Will continue Tokyo next time due to photo uploading issues.
The bullet train from Kyoto to Osaka took 14 minutes and cost around $55 for the two of us. That sounds expensive, but considering the distance covered, it was OK.
We checked into our tiny room at the SmileOsaka hotel.
The afternoon was spent at a nearby mall where we had lunch in the seating/dining area of a nice grocery store. In Japan we learned two important things: you must not eat while walking. Children are trained at a young age to sit while eating. It is a way to be respectful of food. Second is that there are no trash cans as there is the expectation that you will haul your garbage with you to dispose of properly at home. When visiting North America, the Japanese must think we are quite uncivilized considering the garbage that ends up on the street.
After lunch we shopped at Daiso. In Canada the base price at Daiso is $2.50, in Japan the same items were $1.
On the way home the goal was to figure out how to get to the Expo site, about a half hour ride away. There were three choices: shuttle bus (only one every 30 minutes, requiring a reservation that was sold out for our 9:00 a.m. entry time, trains with three transfers, and a cab for $75. Taxis are expensive in Japan and Uber is not the same service we’re used to, it’s a means to book a cab company. Turns out the fare included an Expo toll for a direct road through the city, built specifically for expo. We took the taxi there and the bus home.
Expo was impressive site-wise, but they were not ready for the crowds. The app for advanced pavilion tickets was not working and lines were long.
We were lucky that the Canadian pavilion gave preference to Canadians, and of all the countries we saw, it was the most impressive. I suppose I’m biased. You entered a room with large iceberg shaped sculptures, while holding a tablet on a handle. As you aimed your tablet at the icebergs, scenes came to life.
The site was surrounded by a raised wooden walkway, this section along the reflecting pond with a fountain show.
We also visited Poland, the Nordic Countries, the UK, a multi-national marketplace, and a corporate pavilion featuring nature and medical technology. It was there we tried the bed of the future.
We snacked throughout the day: my favourite pastel nata at the Portuguese pavilion, pizza from Japan’s famous 7-11 (where you can buy acceptable food including noodles, soup, and chicken, there’s one on every block) and at the food court I tried a curry bun, basically a delicious deep fried donut filled with curry.
The Portuguese pavilion had a nautical theme, hence the ropes decorating the outside of the structure.
After a long day of crowds and queuing we were more than ready to get on the bus back to town.
We decided to return to the restaurant of last night’s dinner, a steakhouse called Buff, two blocks from the hotel. We had lamb chops for an appetizer, followed by delicious steaks. The quality and price were excellent. Tonight we wanted to try the 100% beef burgers. Big disappointment, we thought the 100% referred to the amount of meat in the burger, when it really referred to the fact that the only meat in it was beef. There was a lot of filler, more like a meatloaf and gravy.
Next will be the trip back to Yokohama for one more night in the Grace Hotel prior to boarding our ship the following morning.
Check another one off the list. We choose our adventures primarily based on value, then location, so this time we were led to Japan for a cruise to five Japanese ports, six days at sea (including two May 2nd's as we crossed the dateline) then five ports in Alaska prior to arriving in our home port of Vancouver. Having only a one way flight adds to the value factor.
A direct flight to Tokyo was only ten hours, fewer than it takes to fly to Europe, which always requires layovers. The airport limo bus into Yokohama was reasonable and easy, dropping us off a block from our hotel, the Yokohama Grace. We spent the night, then checked our larger suitcases for four nights and travelled to Kyoto and Osaka with one carry on and a backpack. The bullet train was easy to negotiate if you get on the correct train. We didn't. It was still easy, going to the same place, just a few minutes earlier, but it required giving up our reserved seat on the side of the train in order to see Mt. Fuji. We caught a peek-a-boo glimpse through the window across the aisle. When travelling at 300 kilometers per hour, most views are brief. 
We spent the day walking, our destinations being the 400 year old Nishiki Market, lunch and the Uniqlo store at the train station. We have Uniqlo here in Vancouver, but the $56 hoodies are only $26 there and I stocked up with three different colours.
For lunch I had the premium Japanese short ribs and vegetables that you grill at the table. 
The next day we booked a ten hour bus tour, hitting many of Kyoto's highlights:
Kiyomizu-dera Temple:
Sanju-san-gen-do Temple with tour guide Mai:
Sagano Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji temple:
Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple:
Fushimi Inari Shrine:
Turns out we were "those" people on the tour, jetlagged and exhausted, who didn't listen carefully and missed the last meeting spot and the bus back. Good thing we weren't going back to a ship that would leave without us. A wonderful woman, a guide from another company, came to our rescue. Long story short: we were handed the equivalent of $10cdn (as there was no time for a bank machine) and told to run to the local train to ride two stations where we could meet our guide and recover our personal belongings. You can be sure we paid attention on the remainder of our tours!
We decided on a stop at a grocery store for dinner in our hotel room. This is what $37 will buy in Japan, pretty reasonable considering the decent Spanish wine. Fruit is a luxury there, the least expensive apples we found were $2.95 Cdn each. And we never tried the $50 cantaloupes. 
Next will be Osaka and our visit to Expo 2025.
Note: delays due to further issues with Typepad's ability to upload photos. I have a new goal: this summer when Mari is here to hold my hand I will migrate this blog to a platform I can manage myself.
Day 3: started with crab cakes eggs Benedict, of course, then headed to the downtown Estes Park Visitor Center area to grab a few geocaches. A walk around Estes Lake reminded me of my trips here in the 70's and 80's.
Our afternoon adventure was a drive on the white knuckle one way single lane Trail Ridge Road, complete with many hairpin turns and steep dropoffs, only accessible during the summer. Our destination was the Alpine Visitor Center. The views were spectacular ascending, at the top. and driving down to complete the circle. 
Given the long day this was the night for our dinner out. I can highly recommend Sweet Basilico Cafe, but make a reservation or expect a good wait. We had the good wait.
Day 4: What did I have for breakfast? As we would say in 7th grade: I'll give you three guesses, the first two don't count. Crab cakes eggs bennie of course, not wanting to deviate from that 90% statistic cited in my previous post.
We started with a walk around Sprague Lake as we couldn't find a space in the park and ride, intending to bus to the parking lot for a hike to Alberta Falls. There were many beautiful spots that will turn into future paintings.
We drove directly to the trail parking lot and successfully found a spot. The trail to the falls was a breeze as compared to our Day 2 adventure.
Our last stop was the YMCA Camp so I could do some geocaching. I inadvertently chose the long route to the cache, but the views from the outdoor chapel were outstanding.
Back at the condo we grilled steak for dinner and packed for the journey home in the morning.
And now we're in August 2024. As I've been able to post pictures, still with effort but not as much, I've decided to go back in time to post some missed experiences. In August I had the opportunity to meet up with long term (not old 😉) friend, Nancy, from my days living in Omaha in the early 80's. We decided on four nights in a location between here and there, which ended up being Estes Park, Colorado, a place I hadn't been to in at least 45 years. It's as beautiful as I remembered, but not a teensy mountain town anymore, invaded by the usual suspects you can find anywhere: Safeway, McDonalds, Dollar Tree…
Day one: Nancy drove in from Omaha and picked me up at the Denver airport and we continued the hour and a half into the mountains. The location of the airport, far out of the city itself, made for easy driving in light traffic. We arrived at our pretty condo on a babbling brook and made plans for our visit while punting for dinner with the snack foods we packed and the Costco run Nancy had made.
Day two: The decision was made to have breakfasts out, pack our lunches and cook at home for dinner for two nights and go out for one. Our condo had a complete kitchen and a brand new gas grill on the deck. First stop of the day was Estes Eggs where I discovered crab cake eggs bennie. I know a good thing when I taste it and had it three days in a row. Just call me a creature of habit. I read some research that said something like 90% of people eat the same breakfast every day. If I could have those crabby eggs benedict every day I would. Next stop was Safeway for grocery shopping and a quick stop home to unload the groceries.
We stuffed our backpacks with food and water and headed up to one of the visitor's centers at Rocky Mountain National Park. Times have definitely changed with its popularity necessitating of a timed entry system. We had the advantage of Nancy having already been up there on a family trip and was well versed as to the ins and outs of the system. We watched the visitor center's movie, something I try to do at all national parks. We took the shuttle and had an easy walk around Bear Lake.
After lunch we headed up the trail that passes two lakes, Nymph and Dream and ultimately ends at Emerald Lake. This was an over enthusiastic decision considering it was our first day, we started at an elevation of 7500 feet and 90% of the trail was uphill. At several stops we talked to people who were having difficulty acclimatizing and a couple who were turning back. But up we went. The views were spectacular.
Nymph Lake was covered in lily pads and had a nice bench for a break.
We continued our uphill climb alternating with rest stops until we reached Dream Lake, which wasn't too far and had a great view of Hallett Peak. 
We decided, given the long first full day coupled with altitude, we'd head back to the condo for a Salmon dinner. It was a perfect day. The word of the day: incline.
More to follow
We arrived early, back in Cairo for the what is considered the main event of the trip: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum. Today however, it was a stop at the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, originally a historic caravanserai and centre of trade in mid 13th-16th centuries. Now it is the district that houses the massive bazaar, home to souvenir shops, artisan workshops, clothing booths, really anything you want.
In our younger days we might have shopped til we dropped, but this time we are not interested in accumulating stuff and were there for the atmosphere.
Afterwards we were taken to the suburb called "the 6th of October" to a five star resort, the Movenpick Media City, for our last few nights. We passed by neighbourhoods where the pyramids appeared to be in their back yards.
We ubered across the highway for a couple of dollars to see the Mall of Egypt where I stocked up on family gifts of local spices.
In the morning we boarded the bus for the short ride to the Great Pyramid, the history of its construction still under speculation, but we were guaranteed it had nothing to do with aliens.
Mack and Rika went for a camel ride and Rika had the unique experience of being kissed by a camel.
The sphinx was just down the road.
Next stop was back in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, which felt like a scene from the computer game we played with our kids – the Dagger of Amon Ra.
Back at the hotel the food was delicious, the breakfasts were the best of the entire trip. Each afternoon at 4:00 there was a chocolate happy hour.
When we travel with this company we chose the accommodati0n in the "charm" category along with all but one couple. Those who choose the superior category as usually on their own at different hotels and we like the camaraderie of the group. Charm on our trip to South America exceeded our expectations. On this trip it was average or better and we believed they saved the best for last. We enjoyed a last dinner with some of our travel mates.
The next morning we started our long journey home. I have no complaints about the organization of the trip except for the flights. Today we travelled Cairo to London, London to Dallas, and Dallas home to Vancouver. The flight to Dallas on British Airways was exceptional – the service in particular was outstanding and we were lucky to have upstairs seats.
In between Dallas and YVR we were treated to a spectacular view of the Northern Lights. A magnificent ending to a special trip.
I was today years old when I learned that when an image on this blog appears as a question mark, you can click on it and the image appears. Lifesastitch has been here for over 20 years and I just figured it out. Granted, Typepad, my blogging platform has experienced major technical difficulties in uploading photos only in the past few years. One of these days I'm going to host it myself, but it will take a supreme act of bravery to migrate over 20 years of posts.
Another hot day with a tight schedule. We started at the enormous Edfu Temple of Horus, built between 237 and 57 BC. Another example of solid construction and intricate carvings withstanding the test of time despite being buried 12 meters deep under blowing desert sand and silt from the Nile. During our stay in the country we were accompanied by a Master's level Egyptologist who did a good job explaining the stories from the Hellenistic period depicted in the etched walls.
The Temple of Horus was built to honour an Egyptian god and the protector of the pharoah. Horus is represented by a falcon.
Many in the group suffered from tummy issues. That combined with the heat, we decided to take the afternoon off for some R&R and played cards with Mack and Rika in the covered area on the pool deck of the ship. That evening included an interesting ask me anything session about Egyptian culture with our guide, that focussed on politics and culture. This was combined with the ever present sales pitches from merchants, this time from the ship's gift and jewelry store. The prices were reasonable and the quality was assured by the cruise company. Rika and I bought rings that depicted our names in hieroglyphics.
In the morning we started with a tour of Aswan'e quarry and the unfinished obelisk. Commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut, 1508-1458 BC, it was to be the largest obelisk in Egypt. It was carved on its side directly from the bedrock and cracks were discovered during the building process putting an end to the project. If finished it would have stood 137 ft high and weighed over a thousand tonnes.
In the afternoon we boarded a felucca, a traditional Mediterranean sailboat that was introduced to Egypt in more modern times.
We transferred to a two level motorized tour boat for a private tour of a family home in a Nubian Village farther down the Nile. On the way we could see where tourists could slide or snowboard down the dunes and there was a quick stop to wade in the river, which appeared surprisingly clean and clear. People think of crocodiles when the hear the Nile, but in reality they are below the Aswan Dam, nowhere near our location.
The family we visited introduced us to their captive pet crocodiles, fed us tea, hummus, cheese and fresh homemade bread, and entertained us with music and dancing. I happily paid baksheesh to have my picture taken with the family weaver at his loom. It was a typical small group tourist stop.
Before returning to the ship we were taken to a tea and spice shop. Beware of such stops on tours. The prices were very high as they pay baksheesh to guides and/or drivers who bring them customers and similar items can be bought more reasonably elsewhere on your own.
We returned to the ship for dinner and the Lower Nile appropriate daily towel decoration in our cabin.
It was a short night with a 4:00a.m. wakeup call so we could visit the Aswan Dam on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo.
Stay tuned, the journey continues…
Life's a Stitch 
