Magical

We are just back from our visit to Vallea Lumina … on Erin’s recommendation. She’s been there a few times and thought we’d enjoy it ….which we did.

It’s a stroll through an old forest, along a winding path with a light and sound show accompaniment. The darkness, snow and cold make it quite magical. 

Pictures tell the story …. But not quite the experience.

At the beginning getting sorted and our hot drinks to keep us warm.

It was quite busy at the trading post, but was quiet and eerie along the way.

There were little cameo light shows telling stories along the way.

Quite mystical in places.

Some of the light shows were mesmerising.

I have added this video later (after I learnt how it is done) to give an idea of the experience

This was at the end of the stroll and we were taking so much time appreciating
and enjoying the experience that we missed our assigned shuttle.
 No matter, they kindly organised us a taxi ….on the house!

Deer Lodge in Whistler - Pretty as a Picture

 We went from wet to white along the “Sea to Sky Highway” on our way up to Whistler for our week in the snow. Vancouver is renowned for its wet weather and it hasn’t disappointed, but we weren’t sure if if there would be snow given the late start to the season.

We needn’t have worried. Just after a stop in Squamish for groceries and lunch, we started to climb …. and then the weather set in. The rain on the windshield changed from a patter patter to a splat splat and then to quiet flurries of flakes drifting into our vision. From rain to sleet to snow, …… and when it decided to snow, it meant business. By the time we got into Whistler and found our “digs” at the Town Plaza, the scenery was like a chocolate-box picture ….. just what we had hoped for Wendy’s White Whistler Kwistmas!

The weather quickly changed from rain to sleet to snow. We saw two vehicles in ditches or snow
 banks which sort of focuses your attention somewhat!

Our apartment is on the second floor, just to viewer’s right of the sign.

The view from our window ….. just for Wendy A.😉

Checked in, parked the VW Taos in the underground parking (decided this would be better than digging it out each day as Nick had to do in Bloomington) and settled in to our very spacious, well appointed apartment. It’s located right in the heart of the village on the village stroll and close to everything. 

Wendy and Erin busily decorated the apartment with all the Christmas paraphernalia we brought with us (no we were not travelling light!) and made the place very homely and Christmassy. I think we will be quite comfortable for the duration. It really is so different to the Christmases we are used to, especially when the kids were small and we were up at Wooli.

It was dark by about 4.30 and snowing heavily so we went out for some groceries and a tour of the village (Erin was the guide showing us where she lived worked and played in her six months up here in 2018) before dinner.

Orienting ourselves around the village. Erin in her “old stomping ground.”

The village is beautiful, especially at night with lights and snow,

The Pan Pacific Hotel where Erin worked during her time in Whistler.

You cross this quaint, covered bridge to get to the north side of the village where we went for dinner.
It’s quite speccy at night with all the lights.

We finished the evening (and quite a long day) with a very nice meal in
 a flash pub not far from the Fairmont Hotel. 

To market, to market to catch …… Christmas Cheer 🎄🎄

No visit to Vancouver is complete without a trip to Granville Island ….. home of huge markets, food stall and little artisan shops and workshops tucked down little alleys and lanes around the sprawling complex. We’ve visited before and some of us will probably visit again as there is much to see, do and buy. After a cruise around the food and produce stalls, and a quick chowder brunch, we went our separate ways to explore what took our fancy ….which seems to be different things for the girls and me. They did the ladies shops and I visited the artisan stalls and the boat marina with chandlers and workshops and huge sheds with people working on their boats out of the water for Winter. The industrial activity, rain showers, cold and overcast sky made it quite clear that we were a long way from Oz, that we were visitors in a very foreign place.

Clam chowder for brunch. Just one of many food delights on offer.

Fooling around with a shot of the little boat houses on False Creek, trying to capture the weather and Winter ambiance.

It was fascinating watching the men at work on their boats out of the water for Winter.
I guess maintenance is the key when you go to sea.

The quaint little ferries that ply False Creek. Very handy.

Our old “digs at Stamps’s Landing.  Wonderful spot!

We went home on one of the quaint little putt-putt ferries that ply False Creek. It was quite familiar going via Stamp’s Landing where we stayed with Mike and Wendy during our last visit in a very quirky, but comfortable and well located apartment over the marina.

Erin had organised us some tickets to the very popular Vancouver Christmas markets, so after a rest and change into heavier gear, off we headed into town on the metro which is just a short walk form her apartment. The weather forecast was a bit grim (4 degrees and sleet flurries) so we dressed in anticipation of  inclement weather ….but it was not to be an issue. In fact, with all the body heat from the crowds, and the rain/sleet holding off, it was quite mild ….for Vancouver 🥴

Erin had organised passes to these Christmas markets as part of the theme of the trip …. Wendy’s White Whistler Christmas. 

The crowds weren’t bad at the beginning and, as always in Canada, everyone was really polite and happy and nice.
Wendy even made friends with the lady who sold her a flash new tartan collar for Doogie! 

The Christmas carols and songs were blaring, the gluhwein was flowing and after a while
their legs were wobbling! 

We all know that they are “cheap drunks” and those small cups lasted along time!

It’s hard not to get “photobombed” in these circumstances 😂

An inside out pancake and a Funnel Cake with cinnamon and apple to round off the night.
Festive and yummy indeed!

We enjoyed a good few hours there, immersed in the Christmasyness (I made that up) of it all and “pigging out” on the food and hot drinks that go with the Christmas markets experience.

It had been a long day (two markets in one day is a feat in anyone’s language) and we have a mini party planned for tomorrow to meet some of Erin’s friends, so off home to prepare for the next event, tired but happy ….and sated!

Fancy flights ….or “flights of fancy?”

 Well, if you travel with low expectations, sometimes things work out really well. We're experienced enough to know that airlines (even the flash ones) can "bugger" things up without much effort but in this case our “flights of fancy” turned out to exceed our “low expectations” albeit with a couple of minor hiccups. We decided that our theme for Philippine Airlines is …. “It very rarely happens, but …. 🥴.”  A change of planes (a back up aircraft I think) at Sydney put us in quite strange seats and separated (but it was sorted as we boarded) and a couple of minor seat issues that occurred… but only to my seat!

In fairness these things happen on all airlines and the actual travel experience was well worth the choice. We both agreed that the service of the staff was wonderful, the food outstanding and the opportunity to lie flat and sleep much of the way a blessing. It was certainly worth the risk and in the end we arrived in Vancouver, after many, many hours of travel safe, sated and relatively refreshed.

All anticipation.
The flight was fine but the seat configuration was weird. Almost bunk like when we were in the lay flat mode?

Our only claim to have visited the Philippines….. a few hours in the lounge. It was actually quite salubrious.

It was an older Boeing 777 but it was quite spacious and comfortable.
The service and dining was excellent and we came to the conclusion that Business Class is wasted on some people ….dressed in “hoodies” and “active wear” 🥴

And the purpose of all these months of organisation and 23 hours of "planes, trains and automobiles", to be in Canada with Erin for a white Christmas came to pass …… at last. After clearing Customs and Immigration seamlessly we emerged into the gloomy, wintry Vancouver evening to be met by the "prodigal" daughter and whisked off to her little apartment to settled in to our digs for the next few days. 

It appears, from the animated conversation over dinner, and a beer or two (for me) that the expectations for the next few days are shopping, Christmas markets and then “rinse and repeat” …. until we head off to Whistler on Monday. 

Sounds like a plan.😂🎄

Heading out for our first day in Erin’s “ ‘hood”.
The weather is typical Vancouver at this time. Wet and cold.

The neighbourhood is festooned with Christmas lights and decorations, just what Wendy was hoping for.

Wendy’s White Whistler Kwistmas

I read an article the other day about post Covid travel and how it is booming. Apparently us Baby Boomers now have some expendable income (certainly a novelty for us two), relatively good health and a desire to travel…but in comfort. Hence the demand for Premium Economy seats on most airlines. 

With our family Christmas arrangements of decades changing (as they must as families grow .... and grow up) and the realisation that we haven’t spent a Christmas with Erin in seven years, we decided to “bite the bullet” and help her celebrate this coming Christmas ….. in the snow.

I’m beginning this blog a bit earlier than usual as I’m at a bit of a "loose end" at present, limited in my activities by a problem with my "groin" 😕 and waiting for a theatre spot so it can be rectified. So I thought I might share the process by which this trip has evolved.

We've travelled Premium Economy for a number of years now and found that although it's nowhere near the comfort of Business Class it is certainly much better than "cattle" class and we think probably worth the extra.

But in planning this trip we found that the limited number of airlines servicing the Pacific route, and the increased demand for Premium Economy I referred to in the opening paragraph, the prices were horrendous....and not really worth it. We thought we had a good price from QANTAS ...but they reneged (what a shit company) and Air New Zealand and Air Canada were charging way too much! The habits of a frugality over a life time die hard, but  we were determine to go, so decided to come to terms with 14/15 hours of the 3-4-3 seating configuration of cattle class...... much to our chagrin. Sharing with strangers in close quarters for that long is just awful. 

But, in an epiphanic moment, I thought why do we have to get return tickets? I wonder how it works out flying over with one carrier and back with another. Which is how we got to our present position.

With some committed and serious researching I found Business class tickets to Vancouver for less than half the price ....yes I know! 

What's the catch? Well, it is with Philippine Airlines via Manilla with a 3 hour layover. But, with lay flat beds and lounge access we figure it's not that much of a catch and probably worth the gamble. We'll start with low expectations and see how it goes but we figure that poor Business Class has got to be better than cramped cattle class on any airline.

And the return trip. Well I found that Air Fiji flies to Vancouver (who knew) and their Business Class tickets were about 2/3 the Premium Economy on the bigger airlines, so what the heck .... Business Class all the way for us on this trip!

The little cafe across the way from Erin's place .... cloaked in its Winter finery.

The Old Capital Kyoto -Part II

Our short, organised tours of significant sights and sites around Kyoto have turned out to be really enjoyable. Today was our second morning tour but this time it was a “walking tour” which meant that we met our group, got organised and headed off to the station on foot with our little Japanese gentleman guide holding his flag and leading the way. Herding 20 people is difficult at the best of times but walking around streets and on and off trains adds another level of excitement. 

These are typical private houses in the local streets we walked through. Compact and tidy.

Our main purpose was to see the famous Arashiyama bamboo grove but on the way we were treated to some beautiful temple gardens…the first of which was Jojakko-ji, a Buddhist temple from the 14th Century. And it was a tranquil experience. Manicured and managed to within an inch of its life (it’s not unusual to see gardeners sweeping and picking at the moss to keep it pristine) ….. and it’s a active temple still inhabited by monks. Our guide (who was quite elderly himself) did say however that he’s never seen them and wondered if they spent their time out on the golf course!😂 

The moss is all over the ground and much treasured.
Gardeners maintain it impeccably.

By now we were getting to know a few people. Walking around together in groups allows time to chat (unlike on a bus) and there were six baby boomers ….us, a Canadian expat Welshman and his Canadian wife and a Danish couple. The others were a large group from Mexico (I thought they were Spanish but they assured us that Mexican Spanish speakers are the “happy” ones….and they were) who were all wine producers from Mexico promoting their product in Japan. It was an off handed comment from me that started the ball rolling when I wondered out loud why a woman taking pictures of plants and scenes was holding a bottle of wine at arm’s length out in front of her. It was like a reverse “selfie”…a bit strange. Turned out it was for “product promotion” for her wines from Mexico.

They were young, happy and scatty but the Oldies (who could follow directions) kept things on track and their “organiser” (the chairman of their Chamber of Commerce who organised their whole trip) kept  “rounding them up” like a cattle dog. But they were fun.

We then wound our way through some lanes and back streets with private residences to the bamboo grove ….and then the crowds started. But it was impressive and worth the effort to see. 

As the Welshman said (with cheeky grin) while we were discussing Japanese punctuality “ If you’re  not able to cope with crowds and lining up….you’re in the wrong place!’

The famous “Bamboo Grove” was crowded…but still impressive.

We also visited a very attractive Zen garden…part of another monastery (our guide told us that there are about ten versions of Buddhism)  before we were treated to an unexpected surprise, a punt ride on the local river. By this time we had moved out of the gardens to the streets of Arashiyama where the locals were gathering in force. Being a Saturday  everyone was out and about and, like in most parts of the world,  the young people were out “promenading”. The only difference here was that they love to get dressed up in traditional costume, and it is quite a scene. Wendy and I did ask a couple of times about taking photos but they are understandably a bit shy about it.

This was a party or wedding or something but there were lots of
locals dressed up for their Saturday outing.

The Zen gardens were impressive…which is why we went back for a second look after the tour.

We had a wonderful boating  experience on the river and, when a small boat with snacks and drinks came along side, the Mexicans got stuck right into the beer and saki….and then got even louder😂

This is one of the flat bottomed punts we were on. Sitting cross legged on mats.

The Autumn foliage and scenery has been spectacular in places. Arashiyama is one of them.

By the end of the tour we had quite a time together but Wendy and I decided to stay a while longer and have a close look at the bamboo grove and temple gardens whilst the others were heading back to Kyoto.

As we were saying our goodbyes and …..“it was nice meeting and getting to know you a bit” and shaking hands etc…..I felt a weight delivered into my backpack. It was the Mexican lady with her last promotional bottle of wine (the one taking pictures of it in her outstretched hand) who put it in there and said…

“Enjoy some Mexican wine…Australian”. Lovely gesture ….. and we sure intend to!

So here we are,  at the end of our Japan journey and wondering just where the days all went. Wendy has stayed back to do some last minute shopping and packing and I have gone to one last temple a few K’s out of Kyoto to try for some more Autumnal shots. I read about this place when researching our trip and it seemed like one that could offer some good Autumn shots.

And wasn’t I glad that I made the effort (two trains and a 15 minute walk up hill) to visit the Daigo-ji temple and working monastery. The whole complex was impressive and being a bit off the tourist track pretty quiet as well.

Interestingly, I was befriended by an elderly Japanese man named Shiro who showed me through the whole complex which I really appreciated. He is a retired engineer who worked in the motor development section of Mitsubishi and spent time in America. When he enquired why we were in Japan I showed him a picture of Wendy’s garden…..and he smiled and nodded. We had a very pleasant couple of hours together.

My new friend Shiro. We have found the people really friendly and helpful.

Shiro explained that the three rocks in the pebbles represent (L to R) flowing water, still water and rushing water. There is much symbolism in Japanese gardens and I was glad he took the time to explain.

The temple buildings and interiors are interesting in themselves but the magnificent Zen garden…..rocks, water and raked pebbles was quite the fine example of the art. 

But I was really keen to go further up the hill to the Bentendo pond….which I hoped would be in its Autumn finery. It was ….. and this was the scene that greeted me. Quite spectacular!

No words necessary here but I was reminded of Monet’s garden for some reason. Autumn is so attractive.

Tomorrow is  our last Shinkansen trip (they’ve all been excellent) back to Tokyo to catch our overnight flight back to good old Oz. It’s been a busy, sometimes intense, action-packed visit that we have thoroughly enjoyed. We’ll certainly be returning with many memories, experiences and stories to enjoy for years to come.

So from us it’s ……“sayonara” Japan…..over and out!

The old capital…Kyoto (Part 1)

Lazier start to the day than usual on Thursday as our train wasn’t leaving until 10.30 and it is all of 4 minutes to get to the station. The Shinkansen system continues to amaze and impress…as does the luggage forwarding system, both of which are easy, seamless and effective. Ourselves and our bags, although separated, always arrived at the same place at about the same time without incident. So impressive.

With our vast distances, we need this type of travel in Australia 

Arrived at Kyoto about 1pm and to our amazement found that the Hotel Granvia is actually “in” the station. Yes the hotel straddles the whole station which is another example of a shopping mall with trains in it…but this time a luxury hotel as well!!! And it is plush.

Our hotel is in here. The lobby is on the first level up the escalators.
The ticket machines are on the right and the people are the commuters.

From a walkway to the lobby.  The ticket gates are underneath us.

Spent the afternoon before we could get into our room orienting ourselves and finding some shopping spots for Wendy. Google maps is a wonderful app and she was able to find an OK craft/sewing store in another mall down the street. These Japanese like to eat and shop!

We were seated, Japanese style, around the kitchen of this restaurant.
It was fascinating to watch them at work. Hot, noisy and frantic.

Kyoto Tower is a clear land mark that helps us navigate around.

There is much to see in Kyoto and we had to be selective, so the first “sightseeing” day was a morning tour of Nijo-Jo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple and the Imperial Palace from the time when Kyoto was the capital. We opted for morning tours as our stamina is not what it was, and also, it’s hard to process everything you are experiencing. 

At the castle we learned about the Tokugawa shogunate that dominated the area in the 17th Century. It was huge, ornate and very impressive….especially the decoration of the walls inside. We were fascinated by the story of “Nightingale Floors” which made a sort of bird like chirping sound as we walked along the corridors. It is actually made by nails and clamps rubbing together under the floor but, it took us back very quickly to the 60’s when the guide said the sound was deliberate so the residents knew when the “Ninjas” were sneaking in! 

Who’d have thought that Shintaro, Ega Ninjas and star knives would enter our thoughts after all these years.

The Kinkaku-ji temple is dominated by a golden pavilion, on a lake and in a beautiful garden. The gold is real gold leaf applied to the building and I can’t remember the weight of gold applied….but it was quite a bit. 

It was an early Shogun’s folly and when he died his son had it made into a Buddhist temple as per his father’s wishes. Buddhism and Shintoism place great emphasis on the natural world and it is more than evident in the way they they anchor their shrines, castles and palaces in beautiful surroundings.

But the most beautiful gardens were in the Imperial Palace. It was large (acres) and imposing but the gardens were what made it a special place to visit for us.

Water, pines, rocks and Autumn foliage…all the elements.

Timeless.