Greetings from Sydney

At the end of 2010, I was a little freaked out because I hadn't boarded a plane all year, after at least 19 or 20 years of getting on a plane at least once a year. Well, I think I made up for 2010 in the past week.

I flew out to Sydney from Taipei on Friday evening, arriving on Saturday morning. Then on Monday, I got on a domestic flight headed towards Gold Coast, and the following morning boarded another plane for Cairns, and last night I arrived back in Sydney.

Some observations of flying within Australia: security is so lax! Never once was I asked for identification, and boarding passes weren't looked at until lining up to enter the aircraft. That means anyone who really wants to take advantage of the departures area food courts and shops just needs to subject themselves to a x-ray screening. Wow!

Another thing I noticed: my friend and I very nearly missed our flight between Brisbane and Cairns because of rush hour traffic. She'd told me that we needed to be at the airport an hour before the flight, but  35 minutes prior to the flight, we were still on the highway. I'd long given up on the flight and was looking at alternatives while she tried her best to get us there in time, but guess what? We made it! We got there about 20 minutes before the flight was to leave and somehow was able to easily walk right onto the plane with no problem. Amazing!

Was this what U.S. (or maybe specifically New York City and some of the larger cities) airports were like before September 11th? I can't even remember. I'm a nervous traveler, so I like to be there with ample time to spare.

Anyway, onwards with the photos ...

The Vivid light show currently going on down at Circular Quay

Sydney Opera House with a projection on it

Sydney Harbour Bridge at night

The next morning, we headed out for the Blue Mountains. First, a sausage roll for breakfast:

The Three Sisters rock formation

Jamison Valley

Visitors

They say the clouds in Australia are really different ...

I love the lighting in this one ...

We took a Scenic Railway down to see the flora and fauna

Practically straight down, like a roller coaster

Late afternoon sun in late fall

The sun setting over the valley

... not the cutest koala, but oh well.

See you soon, Taipei ...

Woohoo! I'm off on this long-awaited journey to the far away lands of Australia and New Zealand soon. It's a trip I've had vaguely had on my "bucket list" since I was about 20 or 21, and a trip that I promised myself I'd take at 23, once I quit my job. So the time has finally come.

At the start of the week, I was in a right panic about it, since I'd done only minimal prepping. But in a marathon research session, I figured everything out, took notes, printed out maps ... and in the process, got really, really excited. I'll be hitting up Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Cairns, Gold Coast, Brisbane in Australia and Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand. Pretty much all the major cities, except for Adelaide and Canberra in Australia.

In my research, I discovered places I'd overlooked in my preliminary research (deciding on places to go) and I was a little heartbroken. It gives me an excuse to return in the future, though there are simply too many beautiful places in the world to see and explore, and not enough time (or money). It's like that saying about how we'll never read all the things we want to read, and how sad that makes people (like me).

Cathedral Cove, Coromandel
source: gorentals.co.nz

Like Coromandel, a two-hour ferry ride from Auckland, New Zealand. And I wish I were spending more time in Wellington, because ... just look at it. Even the simple is beautiful. (I found this girl's blog to be a wonderful resource, particularly for my eyes.)

But I expect New Zealand to be stunning from start to finish anyhow.

I'll be going a good portion of this trip alone, and it'll be the longest I've gone traveling on my own. I was a little scared at first, but now I'm excited. I might finally become comfortable with the idea of eating alone at a restaurant (or a coffee shop ... baby steps), and if I survive this in one piece, I'll have come out stronger and more experienced. And with stories, which I'll promptly share here!

I've noticed over the course of the past couple of months that I haven't been 100% here in Taipei. My memory has gotten oddly shallow and I've had a feeling of disorientation not infrequently. My eating habits here are not great; the food here doesn't whet my appetite whatsoever, so I eat when I have to, to live. Whereas the normal me lives to eat.

I don't know if it's the weather, stress, nutrition or what, but I'm really hoping that getting away for a month will be able to set my body at ease a little, even if I am constantly on the go. I'm looking forward to food I'm a little more familiar with, milder temperatures (it's nearly winter over there) and the beautiful, dulcet tones of English!

I don't know how often I'll be able to update, since I'll be on the move and wi-fi is not readily available at accommodations in Australia and New Zealand. (And when it is, it costs more than an arm and a leg ... more like my first born.) But I will update with photos and stories when I can, before I forget it all.

Well, here I go ... living the dream! (Or something like it.)

I couldn't resist. :)

Day Four in Tokyo: Jiyugaoka

Although my friend had told me our schedule would be jam-packed, it turns out that we had time to spare before I was to head back. So on Saturday morning, after a long day in Shinjuku and Harajuku, we slept in late and headed out for Jiyugaoka, a suburb of Tokyo. It was on a different JR line/system, about 25 minutes from Oimachi. The weather was great and everyone was out, and the streets were laid out very comfortably ... it reminded me, oddly enough, of Boston's Newbury Street (what doesn't, these days?), and at times, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

It was sort of like a glorified outdoor mall, laid out over many and many blocks.

We had lunch al fresco, at a place called La Bohème. My friend ordered iced tea, which came with a giant spherical ice cube, which I thought was the bee's knees.

I couldn't resist ordering their limoncello mojito ($8 or $9) ...

Mojitos are one of my favorite alcoholic drinks. This one was just okay.

I thought I took a photo of our dishes, but I guess not! My friend had an incredible mushroom risotto, and I had a spinach salad which was alright.

While sitting there (listening to children crying out on the patio), I spotted the Doughnut Plant next door! I had no idea Doughnut Plant had gone international and insisted we grab some doughnuts to go after our meal was over.

I wanted to try the matcha doughnut, but this white chocolate lemon cake doughnut sounded

different. It was too dry and too sweet, but my friend loved her Valrhona chocolate yeast doughnut ...

We spotted this orange house from far away called ... Orange House

A florist ... and gelato!

Me being me, I went with the oddest flavors ... basil ("basilico") and sakura

The friendly guy asked if I wanted to sample the basilico before I ordered it, 

but I said no ... I've had it before! (Somewhere else, though, obviously.)

I had no idea what the sakura flavor would taste like, though. I imagined it would taste like cherries, or maybe cherry vanilla. 

It tasted like cake frosting! Very interesting. The texture of both was great.

After buying a few souvenirs for friends, we headed home for a relaxing evening of hot food from the grocery store and television. I loved Jiyugaoka; I think it was my favorite part of the trip ... it probably had much to do with the fact that we weren't under any real time constraints, and we were outdoors. I think if or when I return to Tokyo again, I'll have a completely different experience if I travel with someone who doesn't treat it like an extended shopping trip. I would have liked to have seen more art museums (along with parks, I have a thing for those) and maybe a shrine or two. Oh, and the Fish Market!

Breaded pork cutlets and rice with seaweed and sesame

Calpis ... in cooler form! This was interesting ... not bad, but not my favorite.

That was my last full day in Tokyo ... the next morning, we woke up late and I had breakfast in front of the television before heading off to Haneda Airport for my flight back to Taipei.

Look how spacious the toilets are at Haneda Airport! All travel depots, take note!

I always have trouble squeezing my duffel bag, etc in the stall with me ... not here.

My last purchase before heading back to Taipei ... a small bottle of a sour cherry-flavored drink

Overall, Tokyo wasn't what I expected it to be ... I thought it would be a lot of extremes: teenagers dressed kind of funky, and extraordinarily gracious everyone else. Not that they weren't, but I was relieved to find that subway manners weren't that different from those in New York City (well, minus the cell phones and occasional rudeness). The greatest standouts to me were the level of service everywhere we went, and the efficiency of absolutely everything. Everything was so well thought out, and sufficient. To me, Tokyo seemed like a more artistically inclined, smart, clean and polite "version" (I don't know how else to say it, though I don't really mean to compare) of New York City. Just like Athens and Rome are dirtier, crazier "versions" and Paris is a ... French "version" of New York City. (I hope I haven't offended too many people haha.) 

The more I travel, the more everything looks the same ... Just like the more I get to know the Chinese language, the more I marvel at how sayings or metaphors are the same in English as they are in Chinese (and German and Japanese, apparently). This makes me think that some things are just instinctive, like the words "mama" and "papa." And how alike we all are, in spite of manmade "barriers" like language, class and culture.

Day Three in Tokyo: Shinjuku and Harajuku

Following a day spent mostly in Shibuya, we headed for Shinjuku. After my friend found Takashimaya Times Square, I left her to browse while I set off for the Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens. Yes, I have a thing for parks and gardens. Slightly disappointed by the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace the day before (it was sorely lacking in color), I set my expectations pretty low for the park. After a 10 minute stroll, I found the park exactly where the police officer I'd asked had said. Easy peasy!

First up was the traditional Japanese garden ...

The setting was so surreal, like a painting in a children's storybook

There were a lot of people sitting around painting or drawing, which I thought was really nice. 

The tea house

I loved these little tuffs of shrubbery. I wanted a full-frontal photo, but there was a class of pre-schoolers or kindergarteners with their mothers picnicking -- so sweet.

The French Garden

Mothers and their children picnicking in the English Garden

Dancing trees

This greenhouse area looked very English to me too

I really enjoyed the park a lot, and it was very nice to get away from indoor shopping malls and my friend for a bit, just to be by myself and nature and be able to think and absorb. I loved how lively the park was, even in its stillness. The waves of schoolchildren running around, the handfuls of painters and artists positioned around certain parts of the park, the elderly taking their daily walks ...

One of the most interesting things about the park (and I think I would have found this to be true of other attractions as well) was the efficiency of the entrance. There was a row of vending machines selling entry tickets (a little over $2), which you put through turnstiles not unlike at a subway station. Flawless!

After this, I rejoined my friend at Takashimaya, and then we went for lunch nearby at ... guess what, another ramen place. However, I escaped the ramen this time.

Rice and chicken, tofu skin and egg over rice (about $7.50) ... this was good, and not extremely salty

Shinjuku

I loved this bridge leading from Takashimaya to the train station ...

And Krispy Kreme is on the right!

Later that night, we went out to Harajuku, where most of the stores were already closed and I got no good photos (my phone is slowly breaking down on me).

See what I mean? This was the gate, I think.

Possibly the nicest looking Gap I've ever seen ...

We had dinner at an Italian place which was really good: I had linguine with cheese, peas, carrots and garlic, and then we went home, absolutely pooped.

Day three's impressions ... I began to notice that everything is "just so." Nothing is overly extravagant or super-sized. Most local restaurants seem to have just enough room to serve the neighborhood patrons, 8-10 tables at most. Everything is packaged to be just enough. There is very little waste, and I really like that. Quality over quantity ...