Back In January we started naming the daily blogs after song titles (or occasionally lines from songs). Here are the recordings we (well, usually Gregg) were thinking of:
All Around The World – The Jam
The Big Dig – Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
The Dust Blows Forward And The Dust Flows Back - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Safe As Milk - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) – Mark Knopfler
Nothing But A Blur From A Bullet Train – Lambchop
Museum – Mark Lanegan
Japan In A Dishpan - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
Hiroshima Mon Amour – Ultravox
Bullet Train To Osaka – Smashing pumpkins
Vessels – Philip Glass
Gardens Of Arcane Delight – Dead Can Dance
Waterfalls – Beth Hart
Buddha Of Suburbia – David Bowie
Kyoto Song – The Cure
Big In Japan – Tom Waits
Walking Through Tokyo – Saxon
Cherry Blossom – Tindersticks
Move To Japan – The Band
Hong Kong Blues – George Harrison
Back To The Monastery – The Grails
Hong Kong Garden – Siouxsie And The Banshees
Hong Kong – Gorillaz
YMCA – Village People
Baby Elephant Walk – Quincy Jones
Tales Of Brave Ulysses – Cream
Come Sail Your Ships Around Me – Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Different Trains – Kronos Quartet (Steve Reich)
The Ghosts Who Write History – The Low Anthem
Reflections In A Crystal Wind – Richard and Mimi Farina
Effervescing Elephant – Syd Barrett
Release The Bats – The Birthday Party
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda – The Pogues
Goodbye and Hello – Tim Buckley
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect – The Decemberists
Summertime – Janis Joplin
Autumn Leaves – Coldcut
I’m Not Looking For A New England – Billy Bragg
Boulder To Birmingham – Emmylou Harris
Bad Fog Of Loneliness – Neil Young
Tall Trees – Crowded House
Black Mirror – Arcade Fire
Forever Young – Bob Dylan
Like a Hurricane – Neil Young And Crazy Horse
Spem in Alium Nunquam Habui – Thomas Tallis
Birthday – The Beatles
Cousin Caterpillar – Incredible String Band
New Dawn Fades – New Order
Mud, Glorious Mud – Michael Flanders and Donald Swann
After The Gold Rush – Neil Young
Casting Pebbles On Some Sandy Beach – Van Morrison
A Forest – The Cure
Dolphins – Tim Buckley
Are You Ready For The Country? – Neil Young
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Mike And The Mechanics
Everyday Is Like Sunday – The Smiths
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? – Sandy Denny
I’ve Walked and I’ve Crawled on Six Crooked Highways – Bob Dylan
Alone Again Or – Love
Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
On The Road Again – Canned Heat
Safe As Milk – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band
There's Danger On The Edge Of Town – The Doors
Buggy Boogie Woogie – Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band
Here Comes The Rain Again – The Eurythmics
Like an Inca – Neil Young
Eight Miles High – The Byrds
Another cup of coffee before we go – Bob Dylan
Sunday 2 May 2010
Thursday 22 April 2010
All Around The world*
Hips And Tints
If you are thinking of making a long journey which involves numerous flights and stopovers you may find the following hints and tips useful – if anyone can think of others, please add them as comments
The first one isn’t original but it’s worth repeating:
• Halve the number of clothes you are thinking of taking and double the amount of money
• Do not use ‘Footprint’ guides they are very unreliable – use Rough Guides or, at a push, Lonely Planet instead
• When given the opportunity to eat vegetables – consume them with relish, you never know when next you may get the chance
• Try foods that you have never eaten before and be prepared to be surprised – like the chocolate and seaweed cookies we had in Japan
• There will be some food with which you will get really fed-up such as refried beans in Mexico or noodles in Japan
• Wake up before seven in the morning and get out into the daylight
• Don’t listen to those who tell you to slow down – throw yourself at life
• If in doubt – do it! Make sure you end your days saying “I’m glad we did that” rather than “I wish we had done that”
• Understand that your happiness is inextricably linked to the happiness of your life partner. If she or he is not happy, then you’ll not be happy
• Trying to be happier than you are is as futile as trying to be taller than you are
• Be prepared to meet some really wonderful, interesting people and if you say you will keep in touch then keep in touch
• Don’t try and cross the road with your headphones on – people are inevitably driving on the side of the road you least expect them to
• Understand that the more people know about a subject the more humble they will sound
• Take a good reliable backpack – we used a brand called ‘Gregory’ (what a fantastic name) they were brilliant (see them at http://www.gregorypacks.com/) and by rolling clothes tightly and using the compression straps we were always able to have them as carry-on luggage on all of our 18 flights. In the UK we got them from a really good travel store called Itchy Feet (http://www.itchyfeet.com/)
• Use a good travel agent – we used the BEST. They are Trailfinders (http://www.trailfinders.com/)
• Take clothes that can be washed in a hotel sink and put on a hanger and that dry quickly – but don’t sacrifice comfort for convenience
• Take a small roll of strong Gaffer tape (use a ballpoint pen and wrap a few feet around it) – thanks to Thom for that
• Take just one multi-country electrical plug adaptor (Muji have a good one) and don’t be surprised if there are different sockets/voltages in different parts of the same country you visit
• Take a torch – you will need it at some point
• If you hire a car, put the torch in the glovebox
• If you hire a car always check for dents and scratches – the hire company will always under-record
• While travelling don’t buy clothes with horizontal stripes
• Don’t buy clothes where the designer’s/manufacturer’s name is the design
• In fact be very careful about buying clothes whilst travelling, they will seem out of place back home
• Unless you are an ethnomusicologist the music you hear in the countries you visit will sound nowhere near as interesting or good when you get back home so be careful about buying CDs (anyone like to buy a CD of Zen Buddhist nuns? Cheap)
• Take a spongebag with a hanger attached – you will invariably find a place to stay without shelves in the bathroom
• Take a universal-fit bath/sink plug – you’ll be surprised how many hotel bathrooms don’t have sink plugs
• Be careful where you use your laptop/netbook – geckos can piss from a great height
• If you decide to take a netbook – we highly recommend the Samsung NC10 (but it’s probably been updated so has a different name now)
• People who spend an inordinate amount of time on their appearance are almost never as interesting, or attractive, as they think.
• Check inside your shoes before you put them on your feet
• Go with the flow – things will go wrong, there will be disappointments but don’t let them ruin the whole experience
• When meeting someone over a meal, the way they treat the waiter is a better guide to their character than how they treat you
• A few words about hats: A man should never wear a hat in a restaurant unless he is under 10 or over 90 otherwise everyone will assume he is from the USA. A woman, no matter her age, should never wear a baseball cap otherwise everyone will assume she is from the USA. Anyone wearing a hat with a maple leaf on it whilst in a restaurant is pretending to be Canadian.
• Canadians should always wear a maple-leaf logo, badge, design somewhere; citizens of the USA shouldn’t
• Take as many digital images as you can – discard at least half of them
• Make as many back-ups as is possible and practicable of the pictures you decide to take home
• Take at least one spare camera battery
• Accept the fact that you will get a stomach upset at some point – diarrhoea for a couple of days isn’t the end of the world, although it may seem like it at the time
• When buying souvenirs/gifts buy them from local artisans wherever possible – they may not be the cheapest but they will be the best value-for-money. Many “genuine” products on sale throughout the world are made in sweatshops in China
• Buy Organic and Fairtrade wherever possible (especially coffee and milk)
• If a hotel tells you that “water is a scarce commodity” more often than not it will have a hot-water system that means you will need to turn on the hot tap at least ten minutes before you want your shower/bath
• Stay in places outside your ‘comfort zone’ such as the YMCA, YHA, backpacker hostels, five star luxury hotels – especially five star luxury hotels
• If you like the shower gels, shampoos etc. that are provided in an hotel take them with you – they only throw away opened ones and you will find a place on your travels where there are none or there are some you don’t like
• The weather will always be different to what you expect
• If you want to visit Japan go while you are still able to kneel comfortably on the floor for the duration of a tea ceremony or meal to get the best out of the occasion
• If you want to visit Japan and have big feet – be prepared to walk on those tatami mats in bare feet
• Try and learn some of the language of the country you are visiting but be prepared for vocabulary and pronunciation that is very different from what you learn in your language classes. For example, the way Spanish is pronounced in Chile is different to how it is pronounced in Peru and both are different to how it is pronounced in Mexico which is different to Spain etc. Words are different too – the word used for ‘drinking straw’ in Guatemala is the word used for ‘wank’ in Mexico!
• Similarly be very careful about hand gestures
• Keep a Blog – even if no one else reads it, it will be a great aide memoire for you when you get home
If you are thinking of making a long journey which involves numerous flights and stopovers you may find the following hints and tips useful – if anyone can think of others, please add them as comments
The first one isn’t original but it’s worth repeating:
• Halve the number of clothes you are thinking of taking and double the amount of money
• Do not use ‘Footprint’ guides they are very unreliable – use Rough Guides or, at a push, Lonely Planet instead
• When given the opportunity to eat vegetables – consume them with relish, you never know when next you may get the chance
• Try foods that you have never eaten before and be prepared to be surprised – like the chocolate and seaweed cookies we had in Japan
• There will be some food with which you will get really fed-up such as refried beans in Mexico or noodles in Japan
• Wake up before seven in the morning and get out into the daylight
• Don’t listen to those who tell you to slow down – throw yourself at life
• If in doubt – do it! Make sure you end your days saying “I’m glad we did that” rather than “I wish we had done that”
• Understand that your happiness is inextricably linked to the happiness of your life partner. If she or he is not happy, then you’ll not be happy
• Trying to be happier than you are is as futile as trying to be taller than you are
• Be prepared to meet some really wonderful, interesting people and if you say you will keep in touch then keep in touch
• Don’t try and cross the road with your headphones on – people are inevitably driving on the side of the road you least expect them to
• Understand that the more people know about a subject the more humble they will sound
• Take a good reliable backpack – we used a brand called ‘Gregory’ (what a fantastic name) they were brilliant (see them at http://www.gregorypacks.com/) and by rolling clothes tightly and using the compression straps we were always able to have them as carry-on luggage on all of our 18 flights. In the UK we got them from a really good travel store called Itchy Feet (http://www.itchyfeet.com/)
• Use a good travel agent – we used the BEST. They are Trailfinders (http://www.trailfinders.com/)
• Take clothes that can be washed in a hotel sink and put on a hanger and that dry quickly – but don’t sacrifice comfort for convenience
• Take a small roll of strong Gaffer tape (use a ballpoint pen and wrap a few feet around it) – thanks to Thom for that
• Take just one multi-country electrical plug adaptor (Muji have a good one) and don’t be surprised if there are different sockets/voltages in different parts of the same country you visit
• Take a torch – you will need it at some point
• If you hire a car, put the torch in the glovebox
• If you hire a car always check for dents and scratches – the hire company will always under-record
• While travelling don’t buy clothes with horizontal stripes
• Don’t buy clothes where the designer’s/manufacturer’s name is the design
• In fact be very careful about buying clothes whilst travelling, they will seem out of place back home
• Unless you are an ethnomusicologist the music you hear in the countries you visit will sound nowhere near as interesting or good when you get back home so be careful about buying CDs (anyone like to buy a CD of Zen Buddhist nuns? Cheap)
• Take a spongebag with a hanger attached – you will invariably find a place to stay without shelves in the bathroom
• Take a universal-fit bath/sink plug – you’ll be surprised how many hotel bathrooms don’t have sink plugs
• Be careful where you use your laptop/netbook – geckos can piss from a great height
• If you decide to take a netbook – we highly recommend the Samsung NC10 (but it’s probably been updated so has a different name now)
• People who spend an inordinate amount of time on their appearance are almost never as interesting, or attractive, as they think.
• Check inside your shoes before you put them on your feet
• Go with the flow – things will go wrong, there will be disappointments but don’t let them ruin the whole experience
• When meeting someone over a meal, the way they treat the waiter is a better guide to their character than how they treat you
• A few words about hats: A man should never wear a hat in a restaurant unless he is under 10 or over 90 otherwise everyone will assume he is from the USA. A woman, no matter her age, should never wear a baseball cap otherwise everyone will assume she is from the USA. Anyone wearing a hat with a maple leaf on it whilst in a restaurant is pretending to be Canadian.
• Canadians should always wear a maple-leaf logo, badge, design somewhere; citizens of the USA shouldn’t
• Take as many digital images as you can – discard at least half of them
• Make as many back-ups as is possible and practicable of the pictures you decide to take home
• Take at least one spare camera battery
• Accept the fact that you will get a stomach upset at some point – diarrhoea for a couple of days isn’t the end of the world, although it may seem like it at the time
• When buying souvenirs/gifts buy them from local artisans wherever possible – they may not be the cheapest but they will be the best value-for-money. Many “genuine” products on sale throughout the world are made in sweatshops in China
• Buy Organic and Fairtrade wherever possible (especially coffee and milk)
• If a hotel tells you that “water is a scarce commodity” more often than not it will have a hot-water system that means you will need to turn on the hot tap at least ten minutes before you want your shower/bath
• Stay in places outside your ‘comfort zone’ such as the YMCA, YHA, backpacker hostels, five star luxury hotels – especially five star luxury hotels
• If you like the shower gels, shampoos etc. that are provided in an hotel take them with you – they only throw away opened ones and you will find a place on your travels where there are none or there are some you don’t like
• The weather will always be different to what you expect
• If you want to visit Japan go while you are still able to kneel comfortably on the floor for the duration of a tea ceremony or meal to get the best out of the occasion
• If you want to visit Japan and have big feet – be prepared to walk on those tatami mats in bare feet
• Try and learn some of the language of the country you are visiting but be prepared for vocabulary and pronunciation that is very different from what you learn in your language classes. For example, the way Spanish is pronounced in Chile is different to how it is pronounced in Peru and both are different to how it is pronounced in Mexico which is different to Spain etc. Words are different too – the word used for ‘drinking straw’ in Guatemala is the word used for ‘wank’ in Mexico!
• Similarly be very careful about hand gestures
• Keep a Blog – even if no one else reads it, it will be a great aide memoire for you when you get home
Monday 19 April 2010
The Big Dig*
19 April 2010
We’ve now been home for a week and have spent a huge amount of time on our allotments. G has dug all of the beds on one of them that didn’t have things growing and C has weeded the beds that do have things growing (like the broad beans, garlic, onions, soft fruit etc.) and sown seeds in the beds G. has dug. Even if we say it ourselves, it is looking fantastic. G. has now started digging our second allotment – that will be more difficult as it has had ‘green manure’ growing on it all winter. Yesterday G. became Chair of the allotments committee.
We’ve now been home for a week and have spent a huge amount of time on our allotments. G has dug all of the beds on one of them that didn’t have things growing and C has weeded the beds that do have things growing (like the broad beans, garlic, onions, soft fruit etc.) and sown seeds in the beds G. has dug. Even if we say it ourselves, it is looking fantastic. G. has now started digging our second allotment – that will be more difficult as it has had ‘green manure’ growing on it all winter. Yesterday G. became Chair of the allotments committee.
The Dust Blows Forward And The Dust Flows Back*
14 April 2010
Seems we arrived home in the nick of time. Once again natural disasters have followed in our wake; this time the volcanic dust from Iceland – however nothing to do with us this time as our route took us nowhere near the place. You will have to find someone else to blame for that one!
And whilst on the subject of dust – a special thank you to our house-sitter Richard who left the place immaculate. He also left us several bottles of wine; you can stay again Richard.
One final word or two about Japan. We said that the place was very clean and there was no graffiti to be seen. However on our way back to the airport we did see some painted in very large red letters on a wall which simply said “ARSENAL”.
Seems we arrived home in the nick of time. Once again natural disasters have followed in our wake; this time the volcanic dust from Iceland – however nothing to do with us this time as our route took us nowhere near the place. You will have to find someone else to blame for that one!
And whilst on the subject of dust – a special thank you to our house-sitter Richard who left the place immaculate. He also left us several bottles of wine; you can stay again Richard.
One final word or two about Japan. We said that the place was very clean and there was no graffiti to be seen. However on our way back to the airport we did see some painted in very large red letters on a wall which simply said “ARSENAL”.
Monday 12 April 2010
Safe As Milk*
13 April 2010
We’re home safe and sound. G’s ‘Freedom Pass’ expired while we were away but because oldies are so honest the tube staff just let him through.
It seems strange that our home looks unfamiliar to us. Today will be spent unpacking and doing loads of washing – and waiting for the Waitrose delivery which we placed over the Internet whilst in Japan. We have said it before and we shall say it again, the Internet has changed our lives, without it much of our r-t-w trip wouldn’t have been planned with such precision nor would we have been able to blog incessantly!
It has no doubt also helped Barry learn Japanese so well
We’re home safe and sound. G’s ‘Freedom Pass’ expired while we were away but because oldies are so honest the tube staff just let him through.
It seems strange that our home looks unfamiliar to us. Today will be spent unpacking and doing loads of washing – and waiting for the Waitrose delivery which we placed over the Internet whilst in Japan. We have said it before and we shall say it again, the Internet has changed our lives, without it much of our r-t-w trip wouldn’t have been planned with such precision nor would we have been able to blog incessantly!
It has no doubt also helped Barry learn Japanese so well
Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)*
12 April 2010
The aeroplane flying from England to Japan was delayed by strong headwinds but as these would be tailwinds for us we shouldn’t have had much delay on the way home except that the luggage was loaded incorrectly in the hold which, with the other delay, meant we were two hours late taking off. We think British Airways are saving money by flying planes that should have been retired years ago – this one creaked and rattled and the entertainment system constantly malfunctioned (G only managed to see on quarter of the Coen brothers’ film ‘Serious Man’). However we have to say that the cabin crew did a wonderful job and, once again, were totally professional despite their life being made hell by BA management. A great big ‘thank you’ to them all but especially Sebastian.
The aeroplane flying from England to Japan was delayed by strong headwinds but as these would be tailwinds for us we shouldn’t have had much delay on the way home except that the luggage was loaded incorrectly in the hold which, with the other delay, meant we were two hours late taking off. We think British Airways are saving money by flying planes that should have been retired years ago – this one creaked and rattled and the entertainment system constantly malfunctioned (G only managed to see on quarter of the Coen brothers’ film ‘Serious Man’). However we have to say that the cabin crew did a wonderful job and, once again, were totally professional despite their life being made hell by BA management. A great big ‘thank you’ to them all but especially Sebastian.
Sunday 11 April 2010
Nothing But A Blur From A Bullet Train*
11 April 2010
Our last full day in Japan – most of the morning spent on a Shinkansen bullet train from Okayama back to Tokyo. We shall probably have to wait until tomorrow’s news to find out how many people will have committed ritual suicide today. Why? Because the almost unthinkable happened the Shinkansen were running late!! And not just the Hikari (the sort of bullet trains we can use with our JR pass) but also the Nozomi - the sleekest and fastest of the bullet trains which travel at an average of 270kph which were departing up to 20 minutes late – 10 seconds is usually the start of an official investigation! Strangely ours left 10 minutes late but arrived in Tokyo exactly at the moment it was supposed to.
We are still very unsure about our feelings for the country. We have warmed to it a lot and love the culture we have experienced in many of the places we have visited, the superb public transport, the ceramics we have seen and handled and the shopping and so much else but still find so much of it so alien – all the bowing (even the conductor and the ‘trolley dollies’ on the train), all the shouts of ‘welcome’ (well we think that’s what they’re saying) when we walk into shops and try as we might we just cannot get our heads around a language that has three alphabets. One of the alphabets (Kanji) has thousands of characters each of which can be pronounced differently depending on the context in which they are used and the other characters with which they are combined. At least the other two alphabets only have 46 characters each. The other stumbling block has been the food – we found it very strange that in the country of Zen Buddhism and macrobiotic food, vegetarianism is really not understood. One set menu we chose that was listed as ‘vegetarian’ came with raw tuna! It is possible to get simple stuff like noodles, tofu, miso and vegetable tempura but we have got rather bored with this diet. It is possible to eat very good veggie food but we have had to go to pricey restaurants or restaurants attached to Zen Buddhist temples which are also quite pricey. Chopsticks are not a problem and in fact we are bringing home several sets. At times we must appear very rude because we just cannot believe the amount of slurping that comes from the next table in a restaurant we just look but quickly realise it is the norm – as is eating a fried egg at breakfast with chopsticks or a small pot of jam with chopsticks or miso soup, rice porridge and fish for breakfast.
But back to the train journey – today was fairly clear and bright so we were able to see Mount Fuji as we passed across the plain about 100km from Tokyo. A truly magnificent sight, even though the base was surrounded by thick cloud the snow-clad peak was beautiful.
Back in Tokyo we have repacked – strange that despite buying hardly anything we need two more suitcases than we started out with.
This will be the last blog from the r-t-w trip as we fly out of Tokyo tomorrow morning but there will be more postings – we shall say many thanks to everyone who has helped make this trip such a good one and perhaps give some tips and hints for anyone wanting to make a similar journey.
Until then, farewell and thanks for having been with us all the way, we have appreciated your company.
Gregg and Chris
Our last full day in Japan – most of the morning spent on a Shinkansen bullet train from Okayama back to Tokyo. We shall probably have to wait until tomorrow’s news to find out how many people will have committed ritual suicide today. Why? Because the almost unthinkable happened the Shinkansen were running late!! And not just the Hikari (the sort of bullet trains we can use with our JR pass) but also the Nozomi - the sleekest and fastest of the bullet trains which travel at an average of 270kph which were departing up to 20 minutes late – 10 seconds is usually the start of an official investigation! Strangely ours left 10 minutes late but arrived in Tokyo exactly at the moment it was supposed to.
We are still very unsure about our feelings for the country. We have warmed to it a lot and love the culture we have experienced in many of the places we have visited, the superb public transport, the ceramics we have seen and handled and the shopping and so much else but still find so much of it so alien – all the bowing (even the conductor and the ‘trolley dollies’ on the train), all the shouts of ‘welcome’ (well we think that’s what they’re saying) when we walk into shops and try as we might we just cannot get our heads around a language that has three alphabets. One of the alphabets (Kanji) has thousands of characters each of which can be pronounced differently depending on the context in which they are used and the other characters with which they are combined. At least the other two alphabets only have 46 characters each. The other stumbling block has been the food – we found it very strange that in the country of Zen Buddhism and macrobiotic food, vegetarianism is really not understood. One set menu we chose that was listed as ‘vegetarian’ came with raw tuna! It is possible to get simple stuff like noodles, tofu, miso and vegetable tempura but we have got rather bored with this diet. It is possible to eat very good veggie food but we have had to go to pricey restaurants or restaurants attached to Zen Buddhist temples which are also quite pricey. Chopsticks are not a problem and in fact we are bringing home several sets. At times we must appear very rude because we just cannot believe the amount of slurping that comes from the next table in a restaurant we just look but quickly realise it is the norm – as is eating a fried egg at breakfast with chopsticks or a small pot of jam with chopsticks or miso soup, rice porridge and fish for breakfast.
But back to the train journey – today was fairly clear and bright so we were able to see Mount Fuji as we passed across the plain about 100km from Tokyo. A truly magnificent sight, even though the base was surrounded by thick cloud the snow-clad peak was beautiful.
Back in Tokyo we have repacked – strange that despite buying hardly anything we need two more suitcases than we started out with.
This will be the last blog from the r-t-w trip as we fly out of Tokyo tomorrow morning but there will be more postings – we shall say many thanks to everyone who has helped make this trip such a good one and perhaps give some tips and hints for anyone wanting to make a similar journey.
Until then, farewell and thanks for having been with us all the way, we have appreciated your company.
Gregg and Chris
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