(above) At the airport…Riding the rails to the terminal…
(above) 6:16AM …A great time to clean floors…
(above) Also a great time to get a fix…
(above) Half hour to boarding…
(above) Chillin’ at Gate N10…
(above) All settled into 25A, time to appreciate the décor…
(above) Meanwhile outside, it looks surly…
(above) T-minus 5…4…3…2…1…
(above) This, is the wild blue yonder..
(above) I know what it looks like on the other side…Glad I’m on top…
(above) Over Nor Cal…
(above) GG bridge from 15K ft…
(above) SF Bay mudflats..
(above) Another one, just before touchdown…
(above) In one of the 752 magazine/gift shops in SFO…The newspapers were all about yesterday…Only a few miles from the airport…
(above) I hate clichés headlines like the plague…
(above) Oh yeah, for all my friends to be in Japan…That is Japanese I hope…Sincere apologies if not (said while bowing)…
(above) The bird we get stuffed into…
(above) Boarding time…
(above) One final turn before gravity is again defied…
Next stop…Ten hours later…Tokyo…
(above) From the last time, fast forward nine hours give or take…
(above) Then there it is, one of the many edges of Japan…
(above) Laid out precisely below, growing parcels…
(above) From above you can see one of many new golf courses near the Narita Airport…
(above) After a really long, long time aloft, we are finally here…
(above) I’m feeling the love…
(above) Yeah, I’m definitely feeling the love…
(above) The incredible deal is I go from the Tokyo Airport and go six hours to my friends door, for $100…Six hours…$100…
(above) Standard equipment…Blankets with kitties on ‘em and doily head rest covers…Accept nothing less…
(above) My driver…
(above) Waiting to roll, I saw this tree support…Very Japanese…
(above) Good idea…Two mirrors up in front so no one goes unseen…
(above) Once we roll the highway, the weekend warriors are evident…
(above) Heading home from the beach on a Tokyo highway at 3 PM…
(above) Lots of “interesting” stickers on the cars…
(above) The driver pointed out this mega structure still being built…Those lower buildings we call skyscrapers...That new thing is just HUGE…
(above) One guess what this place is…???…
(above) A really cool thing is along this river in Tokyo are the baseball fields…I’m guessing there are several hundred of them…Really…And most of them were busy…
(above) Nice day to wakeboard…90 degrees with 90% humidity…
As we drove along my picture taking fell off… After being up close to twenty four hours, I was drained and I fell asleep on and off...
(above) One final picture before darkness fell with still two hours to before I get to my destination, my friend Herald’s house somewhere out there…I have no idea of where it is, but the driver does and that is good enough for me…We made it there and it was good to finally stop moving…Great to connect with Herald too…
(above) After a SOLID nights rest ‘Herald and I went out for the day…Priority one is checking the surf, which is on the other side of these buildings…
(above) Herald chats it up with a couple of fellow locals…
(above) Out in the Sea of Japan one guy waits...In the wrong spot…
(above) Should have paddled over here…
(above) We wanted to drive to a beach further on, but the heavy rains from the night before had the road closed…The TV news crew was on it…
(above) So we went for a walk instead…Started at a cave/tunnel…
(above) The view from the other side of the tunnel…
(above) We hiked up a hill to check the surf from high…
(above) Saw this critter…
(above) The forecast is calling for some typhoon action coming through tomorrow…
(above) Looking toward the hills…Steep and dense and wet…
(above) Some steep hills drop into the sea…
(above) Kind of iconic, eh…???...
(above) Flood control gates…
(above) There is this Egyptian themed sculpture…
(above) Hmmm….
(above) We left the beach and tried again to drive the closed road…Access denied…
(above) So we headed back to Herald’s pad and he pulled out his SUP land trainer…
(above) Pretty fun…
(above) I gave it a go…Conclusion…Pretty fun…
(above) We lifted the side of H-mans trailer and grabbed a couple of boards and accessories…
(above) Minor diversion...Locking gate latch…
(above) Next door the sand is getting prepped for some planting…
(above) Into Herald’s car…A real live TV set…”Hey, is Andy Griffith on…???...”
(above) Back at another beach…One guy sees something we don’t…
(above) So we drive to a BBQ and go by a bunch of rice fields…
(above) These birders have the big guns out to see some Ibis…I would just walk closer quietly…
(above) The weather was pre-typhoon…Very warm and humid…
(above) The BBQ was a celebration of an animal bed and breakfast / rescue…
(above) Cats hanging out while the owners are on holiday…
(above) Something is smelling good…I didn’t ask”what”…
(above) I got by with the eating sticks…Minor triumph…
(above) Plenty of good stuff…Mostly identifiable…
(
above) Herald hears the story of this pup…Severely underfed and the previous “owner” also ground down the teeth with a grinder…
(above) Herald gives comfort to kid a little bit scared of the dog…
(above) A rescued fighting cock…
(above) We left the BBQ and went back to the beach…This statue is in front of some industrial facility…Art is so subjective to good or bad…
(above) A squid fishing boat…Huge lights along the top are used to draw the squid into the danger zone…
(above) The nearing typhoon pushed a lot of funky wind on the surf…
(above) A lot of the beaches here are concreted like this…
(above) One guy in his own private sand trap…
(above) The universal child running away from the tsunami sign…
(above) Beach grass was really getting whipped around with the wind from the oncoming typhoon…
(above) Before we head back home, a pause that refreshes…
Yeah, there was a storm…They call them typhoons over here…HARD rain…Winds that SHOOK the house enough to wake you up…Frequently…
In the morning Herald and I went looking again for surf…
(above) Drove by this road repair crew…Old veteran on the left and two cool guys to the right…
(above) Across the street are Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee…Just by looks, not the guys you would call to save the world…
(above) At the beach…Storm surf...
(above) The Japanese work hard at creating non-user-friendly beaches…
(above) The amount of plastic trash on these beaches is staggering and it seems that no one even cares….
(above) This road was the one we were denied access to yesterday…
(above) This is one of several tunnels along this mountainous coast…There is more tunnel road than open road on this stretch…
(above) We came to this beach with less wind throwing a funk on the waves…
(above) Super picturesque…
(above) One guy paddling back out…
(above) One way down to the surf…
(above) Behind the stairs is this temple…
(above) Not the surf of my dreams, but it is what is in front of me…I’m out there…
(above) Far from perfect but I can now say I surfed in The Sea Of Japan…Put another pin on the map…
(above) Again, so picturesque…
(above) After the surf, there are options for refreshments…Exact change not required…
(above) We left the beach on our way to our next destination…Up on the hillside are some guys getting ready to make this hill look like…>>>
(above) >>>…This…Again, the Japanese and their conquering of the environment with concrete…
(above) Drove by this groovy cool dam…
(above) Next stop as fish market…Cool Disney shirt…I’m thinking it’s not sanctioned…”Disney crew”…
(above) At the fist market…Want something crunchy…???...Bite size crabs…Mamma…
(above) Maybe tonight we throw an octopus arm on the BarB…???...
(above) Fish monger…I looked it up…
(above) Crab-O-Plenty…
(above) Herald bought some of this salted salmon for tonight…
(above) On the walls, a guide to what is available…
(above) One of about ten markets like this…
(above) Our next stop didn’t require us to bring a gift, but the cool guys do… Three please…
(above) Our next stop was to herald’s veterinarian who invited us to a private tea ceremony…
(above) Tradition is deep…Notice the details…
(above) You don’t just pick up these things at the garden department at Home Depot…
(above) This is the sign for don’t walk this way…
(above) To enter the tea house we go through this door…Size so, that back in the day, samurai warriors could not easily enter with swords…They used to have tea then progress to the hard stuff and you know how that sometimes goes…
(above) I will not comment on any similarities or not, between Herald and the sketch on the wall…
(above) Traditional tatami mats…The unit of measure for Japanese buildings…Look it up…
(above) The ceiling of the tea house…
(above) Nice and simple…
(above) We were first presented with these sweets…
(above) Then Sensei went about preparing our tea…
(above) As old of a tradition as there are…
(above) Perfection…
(above) After tea we had grapes (yeah, that big) and Japanese pears (like apples)…The drink is like yogurt with mint…So good…
(above) Herald and I both had a ton of questions that sensei patiently answered…
(above) The container that holds the tea costs more than I make in two months…
(above) Certified tea master…
(above) It’s all in the details…
(above) Sensei’s outside seating…
(above) We profusely thanked Sensei and went for another look at the surf…Time for a beer...
In the evening we went to a public hot bath…Tiled jetted tubs and soaking tubs of several temperatures and intensities…Steam and dry saunas too…Indoor and out…The best part for me was the heated slate floor, outside, where you lie on your back and let the gentle rain fall on you as you watch the clouds drift by and the sky go from light to dark…The perfect end to the day…
More later…
Hi Everyone…
I shot the pictures today and put them in order and asked Herald to caption them…Sort of a guest editor…I only asked Herald to keep the profanity down…He has a way with words (as you’ll see)…
Herald was one of the guys in last year’s Gold Coast, Australia class…A Dutch national living in Japan, married to a beautiful Japanese woman…Herald teaches English here…With that brief introduction out of the way, here’s Herald…
Paul
Paul is pissed from drinking to many Japanese beers so I, “The Baldman” will take the honors of doing Day 5 and soon you’ll send Paul e-mails and ask the old man to let me do this all the time.
Couple of poles lined up in the ocean nobody knows or asks why, but the man from the US seems to think its special! To me it just symbolizes my multiple erections in a day but hey, that’s me…
Some plastic ramps so you don’t f-up your rims again. To a Yankee Doodle Dandy it seems special, but I keep telling him to focus more on cleavage and bums.
This is just sad, a whole bunch of concrete soon to disappear into the Sea of Japan to F-up the little bit of surf that we get blessed with every once in a while. Even the sexy dog (Happy go Lucky) doesn’t deem it worthy to piss on!
A very rare beach fart! You probably remember doing this when you were young (and still beautiful) and sitting in the bath with your siblings…. Well come to the Sea of Japan and I’ll show you around.
This looks like a lot, but actually it’s just a tiny little ripple!!!
Again a pic where Paul shows how versatile he really is.
Small waves for small dicks. The big man in the sky has a weird sense of humor.
Layers of sand or layers of B.S….We all seem to have them, but the beauty in all of us seem to lie beneath! Yeah, yeah I have a little too many of those B.S. layers, but I can’t help myself…. Lack of oxygen at birth!
At the right place at the right time!!!
Poor little fishy!!!
You see Herald you can be short and to the point!!!
Nice guy with the Crocs matching his number plates!!! Some people just go out of their way to color coordinate!!!
Check out the hot dog and the Baldman!!! The guy in the middle is the owner of a local Patagonia shop!!!
This sign says something like we are building a reef to F-up your surf and all the hot surf girls need to line up, skirts up, and pants down, behind this board so the Gaijins (foreigners) can inspect them. No I’m not kidding it really says so…
Same as above but this sign is for the bisexuals and gay guys, so this is where Paul was waiting to do his inspection. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
What’s wrong with this picture?? No, this is not a posed pic, this girl actually put the fins in this way!!! We were thinking is this one of those new Japanese inventions or did the LSD Paul brought from Seattle and passed around just kick in….
Before I get into the water I like to say ‘Let the games begin’.
This guy must have heard that because he brought his Olympic towel and matching tights!!!
Take off your shoes before entering… Paul said nobody does this in the US because they steal your slippers, but in Japan you can leave everything outside your car… LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!!!
Guy teaching a girl on a really bad day, but maybe he was trying to get into her suit. I know I would.
Waves, ripples in our bath!!! Yeah the water temperature is around 27 C. (81 F.) or more. Probably because of Paul peeing all my hard earned money (read: BEER) away!!!
Beautiful clouds and an even better looking blue sky!!! Leave it up to Mr. G…Od to find the right color for the day!
Hot girl and Yoga teacher from whom I’d love to get to know all the ins and outs…. No nothing weird.
Assume the position…
This looks easier than it is, trust me…
But hey with some practice even a dumbass from Holland can do the trick!
Hope to learn more soon from this great woman! Meg you rock!
Great looking set of clouds or a volcanic eruption???
Somewhere around my house. Yeah the DEA/Witness Protection Program has a long list of places like this to stash their witnesses.
Don’t expect much if you visit me here, I’ll feed you but you have to bring your own cheese. Thanks Paul for bringing some.
A samurai’s warrior mask made from rice. You can actually walk in and let the warrior inside you growl.
Mountains and more beautiful skies, yep we’re living the good life!!!
After a long day of surfing nothing, we were too tired to go to a restaurant, so we go to the local take-out. This man is the owner and I love his outfit, and his people skills, which I so desperately need to get my hands on.
More later…
Sunrise from our bedroom window…It almost brings tears to my eyes…It reminds me of a sunrise I saw a long time ago in Tel Aviv
Japanese oldies but goodies.
A family Buddhist altar…When was the last time I paid respect to my ancestors???
Walking by you wouldn't look twice, but when it's a picture it makes me sad???
Looking at this picture I can almost smell the soil and by looking at what the farmers are growing I know what season it is, although I dislike the farmers around here these are the surrounding imprinted in my heart and soul.This pic arouses my memories which stimulate all of my five senses.
Onions… it's almost as if they used a ruler to get them in line.
What a difference cropping can do to something you'd never look at twice.
Looking at this one old women's clothing jumps to my mind…And elderly women's lipstick, the kind that stains to their teeth.
Old bamboo that'll scatter all over the place when you burn it.
Wooden assembly without using nails it looks like you need soooo many skills to do this job. I've heard that carpenters with traditional skills are becoming very hard to find..Are Japanese traditions slowly dying out…???
I didn't take a picture of a flower but the bug that's on it.
Decay isn't it???
Taro-roots???An umbrella for frogs I guess...
Japanese Post has become privatized… a Japanese mailman. Paul said it's like this guy is in a bike race...
Goya originally from Okinawa (green) that couldn't handle the heat and turned into a banana.
Paul's curiosity was aroused by the old reed roof covered with the corrugated roofing what will the next layer look like…Amazing that I would never even look at something like this. (lol)
Probably made to support a tree but there is nothing but weed….
When Japanese in their thirties see this they can almost smell the Showa era.
A typical house in the countryside.
Another typical one with hair growing out of it.
If you eat onions every day there is enough for the next 12 days.
Reminds me of prison
This picture is so ugly it becomes beautiful?
The smell of Showa era part two…
There are many decayed buildings like this. A mirror that reflects the past.
Here's another pic that I don't really understand...
Some famous Japanese beers. On a bottle of Kirin beer (Kirin means Dragon) it says real small Kirin (spelled in katakana) on the dragon itself this is something a hostess told me. If you don't look for it you'll never find it.You'll get the vibe when you find the word.
Got a feeling this used to be a store.
Decayed old building.
The beach and the mountains together it's just great!
Great isn't it? It's almost like a painting.
This guy owns a red board. This guy (my hubby) should be on TV.
Paul what are you looking at??? Probably thinking about the correct pronunciation of salmon.
When we camped out here we thought we were going to die… (lol)
Wind is coming from the right.
This shows nature's strength and force and it's resilience.
A silk spider. Pretty creepy. They grow really big, this fella.
I know cause I smoke.
I'm in Italy?...
…unfortunately it's only Saizeriya.
Family restaurants are a big part of Japanese culture...In Holland a restaurant like this would never work…People would stay here all day.Non-alcohol beer is the wrong way to go (lol)
My husband likes the ansjovis and squid pizza best and he covers it with a layer of pepper and cheese that could kill.
Every Picture Tells A Story
Spent some time feelin' inferior
standing in front of my mirror.
Combed my hair in a thousand ways
but I came out looking just the same.
Daddy said, "Son, you better see the world
I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave.
But remember one thing don't lose your head
to a woman that'll spend your bread".
So I got out
Paris was a place you could hide away
if you felt you didn't fit in.
French police wouldn't give me no peace
They claimed I was a nasty person.
Down along the Left Bank minding my own
Was knocked down by a human stampede.
Got arrested for inciting a peacful riot
when all I wanted was a cup of tea.
I was accused.
I moved on.
Down in Rome I wasn't getting enough
of the things that keeps a young man alive.
My body stunk but I kept my funk
at a time when I was right out of luck.
Getting desperate indeed I was
Looking like a tourist attraction.
Oh my dear I better get out of here
'for the Vatican don't give no sanction.
I wasn't ready for that, no no
I moved right out east yeah!.
On the Peking ferry I was feeling merry
sailing on my way back here.
I fell in love with a slit eyed lady
by the light of an eastern moon.
Shangai Lil never used the pill
She claimed that it just ain't natural.
She took me up on deck and bit my neck.
Oh people I was glad I found her.
Oh yeah I was glad I found her
I firmly believe that I didn't need anyone but me.
I sincerely thought I was so complete.
Look how wrong you can be.
The women I've known I wouldn't let tie my shoe.
They wouldn't give you the time of day.
But the slit eyed lady knocked me off my feet.
God I was glad I found her.
And if they had the words I could tell to you
to help you on the way down the road.
I couldn't quote you no Dickens, Shelley or Keats
'cause it's all been said before.
Make the best out of the bad just laugh it off
You didn't have to come here anyway.
So remember, every picture tells a story don't it…
Words by Rod Stewart
More Later…
More later…
More later…
More Later…
The day started at Nobby’s apartment, then we went to his shop where he creates his own design of wood boards……After that, it was off to the warehouse where the class will start tomorrow, to set up some things…We finished the day with a sunset surf and dinner at a Chinese place…A stop at a convenience stop was our last thing before we went to the place we will stay for the duration of the week…
More later…
Today is the first day of the Japan class…Thirteen participants building boards from 5’7” to 9’9”…
We are staying at an organic farm that offers group accommodations in a new all wood lodge, more on that later…Breakfast and box lunches are included in the $40 per night cost…
The first day of class was all about putting together the deck and bottom skins…This group gets it right the first time, with little explanation needed…Primarily because I only know three words in Japanese…Hello, Thank You and Excellent, which I frequently get mixed up and everyone laughs…Seems to be OK I guess…
After the class we went for another sunset surf…Seems to be a pattern emerging…
(above) A visitor…
(above) The bread is dark because there is bamboo charcoal added in the mix…
(above) Seaweed for breakfast..???...Yep, three types…
(above) Our host, and one of the best rice rollers alive…
(above) Guest ledger…
(above) Genki, multi tasking…Driving, I-pod and GPS…Glad the car is an automatic…
(above) Workshop time…
(above) I’m not showing off (much), just stretching..
(above) Enjoying the calm before the storm…
(above) Japanese cedar…
(above) Plenty to choose from…
(above) The layout…
(above) Ready to glass…
(above) Glassing…
(above) Lunch break…
(above) Bet your life there was rice served…
(above) The space we are using is an old warehouse for Otis Elevators…The space we are using is at the far, far end and through a door to the left…
(above) Stuff to control the ups and downs…
(above) One of the guys in the class deals this stuff…He drove 32 hours to get here…
(above) He’s the guy with the head wrap…
(above) My own personal glassing factory…If they only knew…
(above) After the class was done for the day, we headed to the beach…Local glamour girls depicted…
(above) Late afternoon, about an hour of light left…
(above) Enough time to snag a few to wrap up the day..
(above) The last guy just came in…
(above) Still time to talk about boards…
(above) Close to fully dark and these guys are still all about surf…
More later…
(above) We got up for a pre-dawn look at the waves…
(above) Living with technology…
(above) Genki is ready for some waves…
(above) So is the rest of the crew from the class…So many things in Japan are done as a ‘group’…
(above) No one is ready to surf until……
(above) ……some stretching has been done…
(above) … Meanwhile the guys already wet are sliding some surf that would have me put on a wetsuit back home…
(above) But here, trunks alone are plenty warm…Not tooooo bad a wave, eh...???...Not great but it feels so good…There were schools of fish jumping and it was all so freaking pleasant until the wind turned offshore and the stench of the nearby pig farm permeated the air…Strong stuff…
(above) After our surf the guys put frames together back at the class…
(above) According to plan…
(above) After school was over we headed out…Otis Elevators has the greetings covered…
(above) Ground Zero for elevator testing…
(above) Back at the beach, Genki is sooo ready to surf that he forgot he had his shirt on…
(above) Just screams come lay out on me…
(above) Genki….
(above) See you tomorrow…
(above) Same place I watched the sun come up…
More Later…
The emerging pattern continues; Surf first, work later…All is good…
Another long day done…
More tomorrow…
(above) We are staying here, an organic farm that has guest hosting facilities…Contemporary and spacious…Now if the just brought in some chairs and maybe a sleep pad thicker than a towel…Nah, it’s cool…
(above) The surf this morning was overly influenced by the oncoming typhoon, so it was time for some R & R…
(above) Genki , my partner (along with Nobby) in putting the workshop on, perpetually with cell phone in hand…
(above) ….and back at the class, I’m using a small borrowed tablesaw that I expanded to cut full size plywood sheets……..(again, photos by Nobby)…
(above) the shop space is equal with inside space and covered outside space…This is the outside…
(above) Tool modification time again...
(above) To this guy, I am “double overhead” tall…
(above) Using what is on hand to weight the boards down…
(above) Inside, things are as they should be at this point…
(above) This is the most boards built in any of the classes so far…
(above) Lunch time…Hand made by the hostess of where we are staying…Told you she has skills…You try it…I mean that both ways…
(above) Putting the rails on…
(above) And using a router to even things up…
(above) I’m noticing that here in Japan, the floor is a good place to do just about everything…All the time too…
(above) Found some rope, used it to clamp…
(above) I see something that needs a tweak and tweak it….
(above) Night is upon, and the work goes on…
(above) One more day to go…
More later…
(above) The boys wanted to get an early start at the workshop and feeling that they grasped the concept, two of us went to see if the surf cleaned up from yesterday…But first, a stop at 7 Eleven for some coffee…
(above) I’d say the surf cleaned up…
(above) Japan…???...
(above) Uh huh…
(above) Five foot…
(above) …and reeling…
(above) Better surf than I’ve had this year at home…
(above) …and nobody out…
(above) We surfed for an hour then went back for breakfast then off to the shop to finish…
(above) Mike Cummins, you really missed it..
(above) Does it get any better than this…???...Only if Pam was here…
(above) The boys are into the final shaping at this point so I just wander and appreciate what they have done…
(above) Hard to believe these guys have never built boards before…
(above) Everyone was “in the zone”…
(above) Feeling the love…
(above) We made a mess but it didn’t matter…
(above) Finished 6’4”…
(above) “No problem”… I say that a lot…
(above) “Grasshopper, you must believe in yourself…”
(above) All done except for some final sanding…
(above) Sweet…
(above) Nobby brought out his jig for fin boxes and explained the right way to do it…
(above) Genki is now in the zone, at one with the board…
(above) Seeing it…More than just the board…
(above) Confidence in spades…
(above) I’m calling it a success on so many levels…
We finally had to say the party is over and go home, but before the generator dies we took a few pictures to put a bright bow on the package...
(above) Nobby-san…
(above) Grasshopper, Genki…
(above) Tres amigos…
(above) See y’all next year…
(above)When asked what I do, I often respond with “ I go places and make surfboards with friends”…
(above) Another one in the books…
More later…
With the workshop finished, we had a bit of tidying up to do then we would see what was up in the ocean…
(above) Cruising in Nobby’s van, I checked out the important pages of his Japanese / English dictionary…
(above) Going places…
(above) Rural Eastern Japan…
(above) The trees over there are what we used to build the boards…Japanese cedars…
(above) We made it to the beach where I surfed yesterday…Today is full on typhoon swell…
(above) On to another beach…
(above) Nobby is claiming it’s the biggest he has ever seen it here…That’s saying a lot…
(above) We found a higher vantage point to see the magnitude…
(above) The weather in the morning was a rampaging deluge with accompanying winds…Now the wind has switched offshore and the skies are opening up…
(above) Far out of human reach are ginormous waves…
(above) A set breaks closer in, with a wind that would preclude any paddle ins…
(above) Beyond that wave in the middle are waves breaking what has to be over a mile out…
(above) Maybe with a jet ski and a tow-in board…Helicopter back up might be nice…
(above) Loosely translated it says: ‘Don’t be a fool’…
(above) Nobby will remember this day for a long time…
(above) We walked back to the vans and this guy pulls up and tells us to follow him…
(above) But first, Genki points out on the road, a deadly venomous critter, as wide as my hand…And I was gonna pick it up and squeeze it…
(above) The guy who said “follow” led us along the top of a cliff…Mars red soil….
(above) Late afternoon now…
(above) At the peak of the cliff was this land representation of what was happening out on the horizon…So very Japanese…
(above) Dude is pointing out where we should surf if, as he says, we are any kind of real men…
(above) There…
(above) Damn, I forgot my trunks…
(above) THIS, is Japan…???...
(above) It really was a spectacular day…
(above) Far beyond the harbor are the ones that will be left to the imagination…
(above) The only game in town was this action inside the harbor…
(above) Geology lesson…
(above) Not a shortage of takers…
(above) It was funny watching this…The surge of the waves would push and pull the pack in and out by 50 yards without anyone paddling…In and out, in and out…Mini-tsunami like…
(above) The waves were good looking but seemingly hard for the guys to ride…Weird considering how good it looks…
(above) Yeah, pack your trash…
(above) I had an early flight the next morning , so we said “sayonara” to the ocean and headed inland…Dinner was at a traditional Japanese restaurant…Nobby had fish and, you guessed it, rice…It’s what’s for dinner, and lunch, and breakfast…Every day, 365…
(above) Mine…Beef, with 21st century eating utensils…I tried to tell ‘em…
We found a hotel and before we went there I bought some real beer for the boys to sample what the rest of the civilized world considers good beer…Guinness…They didn’t agree at first, but I didn’t like their food at first either…Call it a cultural exchange…The world is now a happier place through sharing…
Tomorrow: Off to China, then Australia …
As has been said before, more later…
Continued on: 2010 Comboyne Plateau Trip Report