13
Dec

Wandering Kyoto

By: muttler
japan
kyoto

 

11/12/2022

Today was about having a bit of a settle in day as well as getting Madeline familiar with Kyoto, so we headed off to Kiyomizu-Dera to introduce her to one of the major temple complexes, to get used to both the temples and the crowds. Thankfully things still seem a bit on the quieter side.

I won’t go on too much about our day… it was a combination of temples, snacks, and then just some wandering in the city. I also had something else on the agenda for the evening in Nagoya which meant I had to run off mid afternoon. More of that in another post….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10
Dec

Back In Japan!!

By: muttler
japan
travel

 

Konnichiwa everyone!

We’re back in Japan!!! Third times a charm so they say, and this is the case for this trip. After the disappointment of not being able to go for the Olympics in 2020 and 2021, we finally made it back. Back at the start of the year Kate and I booked our flights assuming we would be able to enter the country imminently. We booked for December as a nice end of year treat. Lucky we waited so long as the borders in Japan only opened late October, but that is fine with us as come December, we were all go!

For this trip we are joined by Madeline, Kate’s sister, which makes a nice change as we get to play tour guides for a couple of weeks, exploring Kyoto and Surrounds, Hakone, and Tokyo. So follow us on this 2 week adventure 🙂

Our Friday was a long day of travel. Flight changes meant we flew over through the day, and then had to try and get through immigration as quick as possible, get our rail passes, and then on a train to Kyoto. There was a chance we would miss the last train, but thankfully (teething issues with their new requirements aside) we got through reasonably smoothly, and made our way to Kyoto.

 

 

We arrived at about 10pm, and thankfully we could self check in to our apartment home we had for the week. A gorgeous and spacious traditional style home was waiting for us, which made a lovely change from the small rooms we were used to here in the past. It even had a lovely courtyard for some additional serenity. The night was just winding down after a big day of travel and getting some rest.

Being the early morning person I am, I was up at about 6:30am so headed off for a walk. I wanted to try and secure some tickets for things that I couldn’t do from outside Japan. First was the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, and sadly, I had to be a Japan resident with local mobile phone. Foiled. But I was successful on the second, tickets to a gig in Nagoya for Sunday night. Yassss! Finally I would get to see my current favourite Japanese punk band, Otoboke Beaver! But that will tomorrow’s post.

Once the girls were up, we got ourselves organised and decided to jump on the train to Nara. We thought it would be a fairly relaxing way to settle in, get fresh air and stretch the legs without being too much travel. So we headed back to the station, on the train, and off we went.

Nara is basically wandering to temples and being chased by deer. That makes it sound not that interesting, but it really is a delightful place. It has an air of calm and peace, even when there are hordes of people. Thankfully, not that many there, so our wandering was pretty relaxed.

We did the ‘typical’ circuit visiting the main temples and sights. So here is a bunch of pics of temples, deer, and Japanese maples. Oh, with some food thrown in obviously!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the apartment and I get to finish the night with a boozy version of one of my favourite Japanese sodas. Yassss! Tomorrow a day exploring Kyoto and then off to Nagoya for some rockin’ out.

 

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02
Mar

Reflecting on Covid Travel

By: muttler
covid
united states

 

WE DID IT. After months of planning and different anxieties, it’s all over. We travelled during Covid.

When Australia opened the borders we immediately booked an overseas trip. Some people thought we were a bit crazy, but we were legit going stir-crazy being stuck at home (having had previously organised international, interstate, and regional travel cancelled in the last 2 years). So we did it for our own well being and mental health.

I thought I might do a quick brain dump of thoughts about it all.

1. Being Risk Adverse

The reality is we booked a trip we thought had the biggest likelihood of actually happening and not being too compromised. We also booked a trip that we felt would have a fairly low risk attached to it health wise. Sure the US has had its problems, but by booking a road trip in the off-season of the areas we were visiting, we felt it could be as good as it gets.

In hindsight I was REALLY happy with this decision. Once we got out of LA we saw hardly any people. Only Zion was busy of all the National Parks and being outdoors we could steer clear of crowds. Disneyland is the obvious exception, but we knew that going in, and that was where we were over the top in terms of masking, sanitising, etc.

So international travel can be done safely, and with a feeling that you are staying safe, doing something like this.

2. Experiencing Something Different

Here I am actually referring to the fact that next to NO ONE is travelling! What did that mean?

  • No one in airports means you clear customs in literal minutes! We were out of LAX in 15 minutes. Unheard of!
  • Hotels are largely empty
  • Eating out was quite easy and not too daunting
  • EVERYONE is happy you are there

So for some extra paperwork and testing, you actually get a fair benefit.

3. COVID Rigmarole

It wasn’t too hard actually. You just have to keep up with the current status of things. For example, the required paperwork and testing for Australia changed 3 times from booking in late November, to coming home at the end of Feb. Check in took a few minutes longer, but it was fine. Just have all your paperwork done and printed.

The testing is the biggest thing. Organising it not too hard if you go with the airport testing, but it adds a layer of anxiety on… you may only find out hours before your flight that you are not going anywhere! But thankfully that never happened to us.

And with testing, the US is MUCh more expensive than Australia.

So while it may all SEEM hard, it isn’t really. Just accept that there is a bit more mucking around, and to be fair some levels of anxiety, but not much all things considered.

4. Mental Health

This was the best thing I did for my mental health in the last 2 years. Yeah, I took the odd break in the past 2 years, but nothing that really disconnected me from not only work, but also Australia. I was surprised how good it felt to just not be thinking about Australia for a few weeks.

Being in the outdoors really did it for me. I think I will always look back on my hike up Angels Landing at Zion as a really important thing, as I think it is THE time in the past 2 years where I was really disconnected from Covid and I was just carefree. Well, there was a very slight fear of plummeting to my premature end I guess, but you know what I mean 🙂

I might add some more to this as I think of it. But anyone who is reading this, do consider travelling during this time, especially if it is something you really value. I can’t express enough how important this was for me.

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02
Mar

Disney Recap

By: muttler
disneyland
united states

 

25/02/2022 – 27/02/2022

Hi all, a quick Disney recap. I didn’t do posts each day as frankly I have probably posted about Disney enough already, and also we were typically going until late in the night, so there was also no time!

These few days at Disney were always intended to be low key. As everyone knows we have been to Disneyland a bunch of times, and so this was just in some respects a signal that some things were slightly more “normal” after the past couple of years. We just intended to take it easy, ride what we could, and also get to the handful of new things, namely the Rise of the Resistance Star Wars ride, and also the new Avengers Campus part of California Adventure.

I won’t go into a blow by blow detail of the three days, but below are some of the highlights:

1. Rise of the Resistance

This wasn’t open last time we went. This is unlike any ride, whereby the line seamlessly blends into the ride, which is part thrill ride, part theatrical story of being rescued by the resistance from the First Order. I rode this twice, both time at park opening (i.e “rope drop) so as to avoid the typical 3 hour wait. It is pretty great, although I think re-ride factor is quite low.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Smugglers Run

I have banged on about this before. Piloting the Millennium Falcon… what’s not to love? And I got to ride it by myself a bunch too.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Avengers Campus

A new area of the California Adventure park, this is the home of all the Marvel properties. It is not 100% open yet, with only one ride (Spiderman Web Slingers) and some character appearances and things. I will reserve judgement until it is fully open, but it is underwhelming at the moment. Web Slingers is kinda fun (motion tracking you as you fling your arms around to shoot webs at spiderbots) but 2 rides on it was enough for me. I was stuck on the ride for 10 minutes though which is always kinda fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Haunted Mansion

Our favourite.

 

 

 

 

5. Pixar Rides

Probably the best themed rides in any of the parks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Random

 

 

 

 

 

7. Food

Always a mixed bag at Disney, but you can find some gems (always Dole Whip Float for the win)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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26
Feb

Winding Down (the Disney Way)

By: muttler
disneyland
united states

 

24/02/2022

We were on the home stretch now. We said a sad farewell to Palm Springs (after I had a nice 2 hours walk through the mid-century modern neighbourhoods) and headed to Anaheim.

All through the pandemic, all Kate wanted to signify a return to “normal” was a visit to her happy place, Disneyland. So we resolved to do so. And today was finally the day.

The drive was fairly uneventful and by lunchtime we were in Anaheim. Too early to check into our final hotel, we dropped our car off and headed to our usual first visit whenever we come… Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. Who doesn’t want a boozy lunch?

 

 

 

 

 

It had turned into a glorious day, and it was lovely to sit outside, having cocktails. We soaked it up, especially after the last couple of years.

We didn’t intend to be crazy over these last few days, rather just take it slow and enjoy the Disney vibe. For the day we really just wandered around. The parks were unusually busy for a Thursday so we went on the odd ride but rather just wandered around Disneyland and California Adventure.

I likely won’t post each day for the next few. I have posted about Disneyland a bunch, so I might just do one post to encapsulate the few days. The two new things will be the newish Star Wars ride, Rise of the Resistance, and also the new Avengers area in California Adventure. So I will report back on those in due course!

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