Yosemite

Difficult to find words to describe the place. Spectacular, awesome, inspirational comes to mind. Just amazing rocks. Huge rocks, granite apparently. The views are postcard perfect, and the glorious sunshine helped too.

The first National Park in the world. Second being Royal National Park near Sydney. And a International Park of the first order. One of Abraham Lincoln's most important contributions to legislate this. Politicians do do important things from time to time.

Downside: lots of other people think it's great too, so many tourists even on a weekday.

You just have to see the pictures when I get round to it. My words would not be able to do it justice. Anyone who's been there would know.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/

San Francisco

City by the Bay. First visit to America and I end up in San Francisco. Will I get a falsely rosy view of the USA?

A beautiful city with superb views. Steep inclines with cable cars (they look like trams) trundling along. Just like the movies/pictures/postcards. And of course the Golden Gate Bridge. The unforgettable Bridge. One of the most beautiful bridges in the world with its distinctive red. Golden Gate Red. Although I must admit I turned my back on the Bridge to look at a Kildeer and scrutinise a Scaup.

Less well known are that there are so many beautiful houses in SF. Whole streets of them. I don't mean the mansions but the terrace type things constructed probably early years of last century. And well maintained too.

Joined an interesting walking tour around parts of the City by an enthusiastic volunteer on the jet-lagged day I arrived.

The next day visited Muir Woods where there is a grove of old growth Redwoods. The tallest trees on Earth. They are old and large. Majestic things. "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep," Robert Frost

Passed through Sausalito too. A pretty sea-side town across the bay from San Francisco downtown. Similar to places like Williamstown near Melbourne. Took the ferry from there down to the City with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, that infamous prison.

Stayed at the Youth Hostel initially then with a long-lost-recently-found friend, the ever smiling Ben Quah. He lives in Oakland across the Bay.

Japan -Kyoto

Difficult to get internet time. Was in Kyoto for a few days. Stayed with Stephen Richmond, a friend from Australia, and his family - wife Keiko and the extremely cute Beatrix (Bee-chan). Bee-chan is the cutest baby I've seen for a long time. Sorry you guys with babies out there, your babies have all been very cute but Bee-chan has just taken the prize.

Kyoto was my favourite city in Japan. So interesting with so much to see around every corner. People in kimonos just going about their business, I don't mean the whole city but many more than I saw in Tokyo, or Yonezawa for that matter. Also the sakuras were still in bloom when I was there. Didn't see many left in Tokyo.

And Arashiyama (an outer suburb of Kyoto), close to where I stayed with Stephen, was just a really beautiful Japanese town. Lots of tourists of course but only because it's so pretty. Getting lost in the streets there is almost a joy. There's a rippling stream, an elegant old bridge, shrines and temples nearby, sakuras colouring the nearby hills. Swallows and martins weaving about in the skies. Ducks, herons and egrets in the stream. Ahh..

Sober lesson: DO NOT lose your JR rail Pass

Japan - Yonezawa

Went to Yonezawa in Yamagata Prefecture on the Shinkansen with Dougs. Ice was still seen on the mountain slopes and by the railway tracks as we approached the mountains around Yonezawa. A beautiful sight. Probably even more so in winter.

In Yonezawa, I stayed with Dougs' host family whom he has known for more than 10 years. A large, noisy, friendly and down-to-earth family. Served us a HUGE ramen lunch on arrival.

Later that afternoon, was about to go out with Dougs' to visit Grandpa's grave:

Grandma (Ba-chan): It's cold outside, here take this warm scarf.
Me: Oh, thanks.
Grandma: What about this other one? Or this one?
Me: Hmm, thank you, thank you
Grandma: Actually you can just take them.
Me: Oh no, I really can't
Grandma: Just take them. Actually it was Grandpa's (Jii-chan). After he died, no one wanted them.
Me: Oh thanks. I'll take them.

Japan

Hasn't been that easy getting this blog updated. Not always easy to get working internet access when I need it or rather when I'm not too tired out.

Now towards the end of my jaunt in Japan.

Let's just go chronological, roughly.

Arrived in Tokyo Narita airport and took the train to the city. Was picked up at a station by Prof Ihara and his gentle wife. Stayed for a couple of nights, looked after and fed very well.

Went bird watching with Chris Cook, who works for Japan Times. I joined an American couple from New Jersey, Roger & Paula who were birding with Chris. We went to the Ukishima paddy growing area in Ibaraki Prefecture out past Narita airport area. Was taken around by Akasuka-san. Great birding day. Saw many birds new to me. Bird of the day for me: the stunning Japanese Green pheasant.

The next day, after a beautiful sushi treat by Prof Ihara, went off to walk around the Meiji-jingu gardens, a shrine to a former Japanese emperor. Saw a few nice birds there.

Later that evening met up with my friend Dougs from Melbourne and went to this tiny basement pub and watched this live performance of some jazzy type music. Spent the night at Dougs' friends' (Zoe and her husband) place.

Left early the next day to Yonezawa in Yamagata Prefecture in the mountains of northern Honshu (main island of Japan).

China!

No recent posts as I have been in China for the last 2 weeks. The Great Firewall of China has blocked my blog and all blogs on Blogspot. And also BBC website (but not CNN).

It was a really good trip and a sense opener. Amazing in so many good and bad ways. May have to wait for another day to elaborate and upload pictures. Just got in from Shenzhen to Hongkong tonight and it is pretty late now. Rather tired too.

But basically my trip was Beijing (including the Great Wall) to Xi'an to ZhengZhou (look it up) to Shanghai to Shenzhen and back to Hong Kong. And all helped along with the kindness and hospitality of friends (Siao Wearn and Wai Yeong) and a relative (Cristal) and other travellers along the way especially in Xi'an (Richard and Vanessa from Mt Garnet, Queensland; John and Asa from Sweden somewhere; David form Southampton) and lots and lots of local and not so local Chinese everywhere.

Tomorrow/this morning off to Tokyo.