Moving to Japan!

Arriving in Japan

            Unfortunately we had to sell the van so that was the end of our camping trips but it had served us very well and we moved it on before we had to call the wreckers. Shell took a fair while but eventually got better when we got back. Had a couple of huge swells that nobody went out in so I resorted to trying to surf the Lake stationaries with no luck then surfing in the Jetty and actually got some fun ones amongst the 50 or so boogs. Then some cranking waves, barrels even at The Puss and Mullaway and some sick sessions at Shellys, Cabs and Back Sandy, I was surfing my butt off making the most of it before heading to Japan. Went to Dunga day again and this year I won the retro and we won the teams challenge again. I was getting heaps of work; mostly at Grafton, primary and high school, Shell got a part time gig at the high school also. She was doing her first assessment and from what I could see doing well, although it’d been a while since I even thought about uni work and I was glad it wasn't me. Clint and Ayu then came; Clint for about 10 days which was good did some surfing and drinking but unfortunately I was working everyday he was here. Ayu stayed longer with Kara while he went back to work and we had a night with them a couple of days before we left. While in Japan Carlos and Priscilla were renting our place out which was awesome; probably had the tequila flowing and salsa music cranking, livening the place up a bit. So we said goodbye to all the family again, even though we’d be back in a week. As planned I went to Japan to prepare for work the next week while Shell went to see her olds and to give the Daewoo back which had been a great help for us despite all the work we had done on it just to make it safe enough to continue driving. It was hard going without Shell to a new country and I missed her heaps but she needed to see her olds' and we couldn't afford for both of us to come backwards and forwards. When I arrived I was pretty glad we weren't living in Tokyo as it was massive like I expected and as we started to get closer to our place some bush was finally appearing. The people I worked with were really nice and our apartment was flash, so much bigger than we expected but bloody cold. It was freezing most days and then it rained for a couple, I didn't have proper wet weather gear yet for my ride to school so I ended up catching a cold, not the best way to start the job but I was trying to cram everything into those few days and didn't have time for lots of sleep or eating well or buying more wet weather gear. Understandably everyone was really busy so the week passed very fast and before I was ready it was time to come back for the wedding and to get Shell. I hadn’t really seen or done much by that stage but so far I liked what I saw and we were both looking forward to the year ahead.

          We were having fun in Japan, went to the nearest beach Oarai and had some fun sessions. A left hander breaking off a wall that was usually a bit sluggish but good for turns, a bit like Mullaway. We went there and to Hitachi on a long weekend not long after we arrived, Hitachi didn’t have waves but had a nice big park overlooking the dramatic coastline. We also had our first camping trip at Oarai and the waves were a bit blown out but we had fun anyway. Being able to camp was great, accommodation is expensive in Japan and you can camp just about anywhere. Our nest camping trip was to Nikko and it was beautiful: ancient shrines, waterfalls, rainforest, we had a nude swim in the fresh cold river water camped on the side of the river for free, it was lovely. We planned to go back there to check out the lakes and maybe to that area in winter for the snow. We went to Tokyo and looked around through the day at parks and stuff then went out that night with Dover and his girlfriend Narumi, the bright lights and stylish people spun us out. There wasn’t a lot to do where we lived in Kaminokawa but we went for rides on our bikes to rivers and parks and we made some good friends from work and hung with them a bit. Shell was busy with uni work and I was playing a lot of guitar so time passed pretty quickly mostly. We didn’t have English channels on telly which was great; we listened to music more, looked at our next holidays and watched movies occasionally instead of just having the telly on crap. A few things about Japan were not quite as we’d hoped, fruit and veges were ridiculously expensive so we didn’t eat enough which was a big change and travel around and out of Japan was very pricey too so that limited us but we got around with the camping a bit. The kindy we worked at was good, the kids were so polite they really were a joy to teach. The Japanese way of discipline for the sake of  tradition took a bit to get used to but we expected it and that’s what you do when you teach overseas. Our first holiday came up pretty quick in July, just before it we went to the Kaminokawa street party Saturday night and had fun watching the drummers and eating awesome food.

India and Taiwan!

         

          We had a quick look around Kochi the day after we landed and then headed towards Allepey on the first of many rickety and slow bus rides. In Allepey we had a romantic houseboat ride, just us two plus the driver and cook cruising through the backwaters watching the villagers go about their simple lives from the hammocks on the little balcony atop our boat. We stayed three nights in Varkala and loved it, similar feel to Lembongan cliff but higher and cheaper. Got good waves there but hassles with lifeguards, hired a bike and cruised around one day checking other beaches.  Shell got a lot of uni done and we had some great food overlooking the Stingrays jumping out of the waves and the Sea Eagles floating around the cliffs. Then we went to Kovalam in a room right on the beach with a fridge and balcony for 10 bucks! Had a fun surf this morning out the front, have to hit it early before the lifeguards are there to stop me, it was only about 6 foot but pretty chunky. It's a beautiful spot with a lighthouse at one end of the beach and palm trees everywhere. We were planning to get on another overcrowded and slow train toward Kanyakumari, only one week in and India had blown us away already! Kanyakumari was nice, a bit of a shock at first: it was our first stop in Tamil Nadu which is quite different to Kerala. People can come across as abrupt there which could be a combination of lack of English and less foreign tourists, particularly in smaller towns. Anyway once we settled and went for a look around the market and the amazing island temple and statue we enjoyed it and the next morning I got some fun little wedges bouncing off a rock wall with the statue and temple as a backdrop. We had a great time in Kodaikanal in the chilly highlands, had a horseride and went for a walk through the misty mountains. We got an overnight sleeper bus from there to Pondicherry which was so much better than the 7 hours it took to get 150km from Madurai to Kodaikanal. Madurai was just a stopover after the private bus from Kanyakumari but we had a look around at the temple. Next was Pondicherry, had some fun little waves off the pier there, even a very crouched little pit. I got out pretty quickly one day though, a young local fella was drunk and maybe stoned and wanted a go on my board and when I said no he got cranky. He had mates on the rocks so I got the first wave in and walked back to my bike quickly. He chased me for a while but gave up when I got near the road. Maybe nothing would have happened but I didn't want to find out and it wasn't very good anyway. That's the only trouble I've had and we left for Auroville the next day where there is supposed to be better waves and its a hippy town so should be all peace and love. It's been nice to be in a bit more civilisation but we are looking forward to getting away from the chaotic streets though. Next was Auroville which was nice, had a nice little long righthander and was pretty secluded which was good after Pondicherry. I hired a bike again and did the little bit of running around from the beach to the grog shop. When I went to the grog shop thankfully Shell was busy so she didn't come, not a place for ladies. It was attached to a bar and it was about 5 in the arvo and there were already a lot of messy locals falling over on the road, smoking hash and wanting me to hang around but I got out of there. Someone told me once that people from a non Anglo-Saxon background don't handle alcohol as well because it hasn't been in the heredity as long. Others say that's a load but I have seen around the world and in Australia that there may be something in it, not that Aussies or others can't be hopeless drunks! Our last nice place was Mahabalipuram, a little fishing village with another fun righthander sandbar coming off a rock wall. There was also a lot of ancient temples and shrines to check out. Shell finished her uni work there so she can relax and enjoy the holiday more now. So we had a great time in India, 3 weeks has been good to do the part we wanted to do. When we had asked people who had been to India before what they liked about it they said it was hard to say exactly and you need to go to find out. We know what they mean now, Shell was saying that amongst the filth and the poverty and the heat and the chaos are little bits of beauty that you wouldn't see if you didn't go and really look around. Sacred cows eating garbage, goats eating anything, squirrels, rats and monkeys, the intricate chalk designs drawn daily on the cement, ladies cooking herb and vegie dishes on a fire for hours crouched down out on the street, the crazy smile of an old lady chewing Beetlenut, the stares of amazement at a surfboard, the list goes on. So many different kinds of adventures here, there are things here that are frustrating like: things rarely work, usually transport is late and everything is dirty but these things are outweighed by the amazing things like: bags of potential and empty breaks, incredibly beautiful country and friendly and content people. It's not often people in a third world society say they feel sorry for us in Australia because we work too much and everything is too expensive. Made us think differently than pitying them being poor and not having the luxuries we do but they are more than happy with their lot.

We arrived in Taipei late after leaving Chennai this morning. Had a coupla beers and a feed at a 7 11 at midnight, we loved the look of it so far and we headed for Hualien the net day. We were looking forward now to our week in Taiwan, it will be nice to have some cleanliness and a bit of organisation but India has left us with a smile and another reminder of how lucky we think we are? Taiwan was awesome: we only stayed one day at Hualien, it was nice to go for a cruise round the streets but it was a long way to waves and was a bit too busy for us. The next day we got to Taitung which was easier to get around and we found a nice cheap hotel that had free bikes so we headed straight out for a look around. Went out to Donghe for a surf the next day, it wasn't great but got a couple and it was a beautiful bus ride along the coast. That arv I went and explored where I thought I could surf the next day but the swell had dropped: such a shame, like a lot of the places there it had bags of pit potential. After that we went on a bus ride through the mountains to what I thought was the Rainforest Park Shell wanted to go to but I was wrong, was a nice area though. The next day I headed for a spot I saw from the bus and was hoping I'd be allowed to surf (a lot of beaches where closed in typhoon season and even had coastguard ships patrolling) I found some fun little waves after an hour walking and climbing down a little cliff to a deserted beach. There was a freshwater spring coming out the cliff that I had a swim in after the surf which was great. We made it to the rainforest and hot springs that arv, it was well worth it too. We didn't see the barking deer but we saw plenty of Macaques, squirrels, butterflies and lizards and it was a beautiful spot up in the misty mountains. It was a bit cooler up there but not enough after an hour or so of trekking around so we went for a swim in the spring which wasn't actually hot at the end which was awesome. The next morning was smaller again so I took my board and snorkel and my board stayed on the beach while I snorkelled round the rock shelf: saw some dull coral and a few fish; the water was very murky from the sediment filled rivers washing out. When I got back we went for a ride around the old railway which was cool then checked out a Buddhist shrine. That arv we went down the beach for a couple of beers and then back to the cool outdoor bar area that had Taiwanese Aboriginal dances. On our last day we just slept in and got on the long train ride back to Taipei and had a quiet night before heading back to Japan the next day. We were thinking we'd like to live in Taiwan if possible: it had good things from Japan about it being clean and efficient but it was also cheap and more relaxed like most of Asia, and the fruit and veges were great and affordable, actually food in general.

Back in Japan

We arrived in Osaka and then went out to Kyoto then got on our bikes and checked it out a bit. Had a few beers on the river then went to a place with Namae hodai. Had a great time in Osaka, went to Nara and saw the deer and beautiful old shrines and gardens. Cruising the streets admiring the bright lights and funny people. Had a bit of a look around Kyoto at shrines then headed back to Osaka. Went to the aquarium on the last day which was nice. Stayed a night in Narita then headed home after an awesome holiday. We were already looking forward to the Philippines at Christmas so we booked it the next weekend! Laid pretty low for a while after getting back, went camping on a lake in the mountains in Fukushima which was really nice. Had a camp spot with no one else around on the side of the lake and had a fire and a swim. We then went camping in Hakone with mum and dad, it was beautiful. We camped on the side of a lake again and out of our tent we could see Mt Fuji. Was great to see mum and dad and some lovely things to see there, the next weekend we went to the beach and we got some fun, decent size waves at Oarai. I went to see Ihsahn through the week and I was blown away, he was playing amazing stuff without even looking and his singing/screaming was intense. He played an Emperor song too so I was stoked about that. We then went back to Nikko but up to the lake this time for the changing of the leaves. It was our last camp trip in Japan, it was freezing. The leaves were stunning though and the waterfall was incredible to see early in the morning. Went to Tokyo with Dover and Narumi and their mates for Halloween, had a great time. Went to the beach again at Oarai but this time it was bloody terrible, was pretty frustrating after three and a half hours to get there. We went out for our friend Michelle’s birthday in Utsunomiya and did karaoke which was fun. We then went to Ashikaga for Shell’s birthday, had a look around the nice old town and then had a few drinks then went back and enjoyed our nice hotel room. The next day we checked out the shrine on the hill overlooking town which was nice. We then had the work Christmas party at Nasu which was awesome; the hotel was very richo, we went in the Onsen which was beautiful and we could see the snowy mountains out our window. The party was pretty big too, karaoke of course and all we could drink.

Had an amazing day in Siquijor Island, decided to get on the early ferry from Dumaguete today so we could make the most of our two days in Siquijor. So glad we did, got a bike straight away and then came and found some cute little log cabins on the beach to stay in wand have breaky. After that we cruised out to beautiful waterfalls for a swim, looking out from a cave through the sheet of water was closest I've had to a barrel yet but that'll come day after tomorrow. It was a shame though that we had to take turns swimming as we were warned that people had in the bush and pinch your stuff. The lady who told us wasn't wrong, we spotted a couple of the little buggers very well hidden in the dense jungle around the waterfalls watching us like hawks, pretty creepy but we were fine. We then had probably our most spectacular ever scooter ride though the mountains. Didn't find the caves along the way but copped an eyeful of the mostly untouched interior of one of these beautiful thousands of Islands and it reminded us if why we loved the locals so much last time when just about everyone we passed had a huge smile and yelled 'Merry Christmas!' We then had our first afternoon nap of the holiday, was pretty great after a big morning. I then went for my first snorkel of the trip, went on a bit of a mission to try and find somewhere with not so much sea grass. Found a little fisherman's beach where I still had to swim out a fair way but found some coral outcrops with lots of pretty fish, different varieties of urchins and starfish, a few of the colourful crabs and tiny little shrimp that live in anemones which I hadn't seen for a long time and a big centipede looking thing that was munching away on the seagrass. So for our first real relaxing day of the trip, although it was pretty busy we had a ball and things are looking incredible. We had a nice hotel last night after a long day of travelling here, like last time things don't always happen the way you think in the Philippines. The ferry which would have brought us directly here yesterday wasn't running on Sunday but that information wasn't online. We may be just as long getting back as the ferry schedule, even that's on the ticketing booth hasn't been updated! These things don't matter though after a day like today and this is the Philippines, not an organised tour! So we eventually got back to our cheap and nasty room in Cebu the next night then next day we'll be off to Siargao for waves; yew, we are stoked big time already!

Philippines 2nd time

Went for a little ride in the morning and found the 400 hundred year old enchanted tree: the tree itself was interesting enough with it's roots exposed and entwined with vines but there was also a spring coming out the bottom with little fish in it that eat the dead skin on your feet. We then had another quick swim in a spring and headed back for Cebu. Was a quicker trip this time thankfully and we had a few beers with some funny drunk locals near our dorm. The next day we got to Siargao around lunchtime then over by boat to our little secluded beach cottage. It was true relaxation, well apart from the surfing for me, snorkelling for both of us and uni work for Shell. I got straight out there that arv and got some fun little airs. The next morning was better and I got some nice long lefts and a few little pits and airs. That arv we had a snorkel but it was pretty average. The next day was a bit smaller but fun still and I tried snorkelling another spot but still not much going on. We left the next day and I had my best surf so far, bigger rights that were long and had good air sections. We got to cloud 9 and got a bike then met a nice Aussie bloke and had a few with him. In the morning I surfed cloud 9 early and it was good but a bit unsettled, waves breaking in different spots which makes it a bit tricky when it's solid 6 foot plus. Got a few sick waves for big proper turns though then got on the bike and headed up toward Pacifico. Had a ball up there, the place we were staying was great. Dirt cheap, good service and funny people. Had some good waves that arvo at Bayud, no one out and it was a bit smaller than could 9 but had a big rip through it that made it hard work to stay on the peak.

                                 

I surfed Pacifico by myself again and it was sick: 6 foot plus again, lefts this time and it was a bit more settled than cloud 9. That arvo we went for a ride out to a nice waterfall and some beautiful scenery along the way. The next day it was really windy in the morning so I didn't surf out there but when we got back to cloud 9 I had the best surf I'd had for a long time. Was not so great at first: after one wave I got caught under a set and dragged right back along the reef. Scraped my foot up a bit and had some serious hold downs, was buggered after it but when I eventually got back out I got some sick pits one stand up one that was the best I'd had since leaving Australia last year. After the surf I got my dreads done and we drank beer while they did it, we then had a pig on the spit and and bit of dancing so it was a great New Years! The next day It was too windy for cloud 9 so I went on a boat to Paradise; the only place protected but it was about 2 foot and had about 30 blokes so not paradise. We had a pretty quiet one that night then I got up and got some good solo waves at cloud 9, one poor fella came out on his first day on the island but got dragged back along the reef like I did the other day and he didn't come back. We had another quiet night night as we were trying to recover some sleep due to our noisy air con. Our last day there I surfed Daku Island which had a pretty long and fun righthander which wasn't too crowded. After that we headed to Cebu then went straight over to Bohol and found a nice hotel close to the beach. Next day we had a great dive, lots of different coral and some cool small stuff like Seahorses, Nudibranchs and pipe fish and some bigger stuff like Batfish, Frogfish and more. We had a few that night at the Aussie bar and met some characters then next morning we hired a scooter and headed toward the chocolate hills. Had some beautiful scenery along the way and stopped to see the Tarsiers, they really are amazing when you see how small and ugly in a cute way they are. The chocolate hills themselves were a spin out to see, looked a bit like it was another planet. So we had a great day, so wide a variety of things to see then we had a bit of a rest then went back to the Aussie bar and drank with some more funny people. On the last day we lazed around in our aircon in the morning, I had a fun snorkel then we had a few beers while waiting to go to the ferry back to Cebu and left round midnight for Manila then leave there and back to Japan early the next morning.

Winter

It was getting pretty cold when we got back from our awesome holiday. Shell was really busy with uni and I was looking for jobs so we laid pretty low for a while. We had a few times in the park with a fire and some drinks which was nice to keep warm. One weekend we went to Yokohama for a beerfest and a look around, it was fun and a nice city along the port. We then went snowboarding at Nasu, it was awesome! Got hammered plenty of times and everything was sore for the next few days but it is heaps of fun. Did some airs and used the walls and half pipe to do carves. It's an amazing feeling to looking out from the edge of a big mountain at the beautiful scene and then sliding down the side of it at great speeds with only a piece of plastic under you. Unfortunately it snowed a lot on the way back and our hour journey actually took twelve due to delayed trains and everything else. Was a long night but we were so glad we did it. Over the next few weeks we went out for dinner a few times and went to Tokyo with Dover and Narumi for the last time and had a great time with them again. We also had a lot of work things for the end of the year so it went pretty quickly at the end. We were really happy to be going home, most likely for a fair while so Shell could concentrate on uni but there was always the chance of a good job coming up overseas again. We'd had a great time in Japan, seen a fair bit of it and it allowed us to go to India, Taiwan and the Philippines again. It was very different to any part of Asia we'd been to before, a place I'd recommend for a holiday.