MID LIFE AT THE OASIS

So, we’re HOME to San Francisco, a word that now has special meaning. You learn a lot about the concept of home when you spend most of a year isolated from friends and are constantly challenged by strange new customs, food, and language.

THE VIEW OF SF FROM OUR SUBLET SOUTH OF MARKET

There were times when it felt like we would never make it back home over the past year. Even before landing at SFO, I was dreaming of the places we had seen that will stick to my memory forever…like a hilltop cemetary above Sarajevo

or more recently, the beautiful and spiritual Koya-San cemetary in Kansai, Japan

and even climbing to a castle in Eastern Slovakia

So a lot of you are asking, “so what’s it like to be home?” Well, in short…”absolutely wonderful” Not only do I feel recharged, rested, relaxed, and enlightened from our past year, but I am able to enjoy things in a different light. We met and saw so many people around the world who struggle to feed themselves daily, breathe foul air, and drink undrinkable water. We are so lucky to be born where and when we were. I also feel charged to never forget their plight as we go forth with our busy lives again.

COW WASHING IN THE HOLY GANGES – VARANASI

Sure the US is not perfect and our current xenophobic us vs. them foreign “policy” is beyond disturbing as it spirals us towards more conflict and unrest in a world that desperately needs our help. But all in all, the positives are many. The most striking thing about getting off the plane at SFO and taking BART back into the city was the broad diversity of the people. Most of the places we travelled are mono-cultures that are fascinating, but don’t offer outsiders much chance at blending in.

NO MELTING POT ON THE TOKYO SUBWAY – JAPAN IS JAPANESE

But the areas of the US subject to more recent immigration are vibrant, multi-cultural, and generally very tolerant. We brought glares in most of China and polite stares in Japan, but Chinese and Japanese (American or not) in San Francisco can walk down the street without causing the blink of an eye. It really is a wonderful thing as the melting pot is real.

That said, it is also apparent that the majority of Americans don’t know much about the world outside our borders and our media mirrors and fosters that perspective. The media in most of the countries we visited covers foreign issues with dramatically more attention. Suddenly you are aware of the crises in Africa, trauma in the Middle East, and suffering around the globe that generally goes unreported here in lieu of a new terror alert, weight-loss fad, or pretty white child that has gone missing. (except for the communist countries of Laos, Vietnam, and China where news is controlled of course) And although Australia is also a part of the coalition of the willing, they still seem to have more focus on global issues such as global warming, which is reported as a fact that needs to be addressed.

HOME IS WHERE YOUR FRIENDS AND A GOOD BURIRTO ARE!

But it goes beyond this, as one of the shocking results of taking a year off to travel is that I have lost the urgent sense to make more money and to return to the working world too fast. It’s great to have the time to actually enjoy San Francisco without the pressures of our pre-sabbatical life. I move slower and am definitely more patient. And as a cyclist and walker in San Francisco things look pretty good.

Other shocks on our return:

Many Americans are big! And I don’t just mean overweight, I mean big boned. Westerners started to look strange to us towards the end of our trip.

Kids grow fast! We barely recognized our nieces and nephews. (Shocking I Know)

San Franciscans all move fast and seem to be in a rush!? You’ve got to be to make enough money to live here.

But best of all is to be back to familiarity. Home does matter and you are where you are from. We are Americans, Californians, and San Franciscans and these things define us more than you think, especially by age 40. If you love burritos when you leave, you still love them when you return. Now I just love an even broader array of world cuisine.

YUP, A GOOD BURRITO AND A JARRITOS MAKES ME SMILE!

We also are convinced that our car free perspective prepared us well to better enjoy life in other countries as most of the locals do: on bikes, foot, and transit. This is yet another reason why y’all should quit your jobs now and travel the world.

Next entry….favorite places revealed. (You’ll know most of these if you’ve been following us)

-R

We’ve been exploring the great city of Kyoto now for 4 days and were treated to a brilliant blue-sky sunny day yesterday after a few days of solid rain. June is the rainy season here, so I guess we’ve been lucky so far to have missed most of it. Well, mostly…

SCHOOL GIRLS GETTING THIER PHOTO TAKEN AT GINKAKU JI IN THE RAIN

We biked all over the city and explored temples, alleys, parks, shrines, gardens and rode along two river pathways checking out the Sunday scene of relaxation, Japanese style.

WHAT? WE CAN’T RIDE OUR BIKES INTO THE TEMPLE!?

Now the Japanese certainly seem to be a fun-loving people, but their relaxation tends to take two major forms: shopping and artistic pursuits. The shopping streets, malls, and districts are always packed with people; everywhere and all the time. It is a sport that makes American material pursuits look like the minor leagues. It’s like it’s December 23rd every day.

CHERYL AND HER SUN UMBRELLA ON THE RIVER PATH – KYOTO

The other thing you can’t help but notice is just how many people here in Kyoto are painting, playing music, or creating other art outdoors. No lying around in the sun drinking beer – the Japanese are clearly doers. Saxophone, drum, flute, and violin players along just one stretch of river, loads of painters, writers, and calligraphers too. Even the kids are DOING things on their time off. It’s a very hip city once you get behind the facade of shops and busy streets.

EVEN THE HOMELESS HAVE THE TYPICAL JAPANESE PRIDE

I’m still mesmerized by how unique a culture it is in the world and I don’t see any signs of drastic changes on the horizon as the national psyche is little influenced by outside forces. As someone aptly said online “Other places like China and India are changing fast, but in 50 or even 500 years, Japan will still be Japan”

STREET IN KYOTO IMPROVED BY NEIGHBORS PLANTS

As for our psyches, well, let’s just say that there is definitely a strange separation and growing feeling of anticipation growing as our return home is only 4 days away! Even if you haven’t travelled for an extended period before, you probably know the feeling from the end of a great 2-week vacation. The last few days are often kind of strange as your mind starts to adapt to the fact that it will be back in familiar territory again soon. Well, multiply that feeling by about 20 and you may get an idea of what I’m feeling now. It’s a strange combination of excitement and anxiety. What will it feel like to be back in the USA? We are already getting some of the US CNN feeds here in Japan on TV and it has reminded us how narrow the focus is of most of the media and dare I day, residents of the great country. Now it may sound like all this travel has made me down on the USA, but that’s not true. In fact I appreciate so many things about our country even more such as clean water and air, free speech, diversity, and most of all, the laid back non judgemental attitude of most Americans towards things they don’t understand. We really are quite an accepting group that has only recently lost our way again in the world. I’m more resolved on my return to speak my mind and stand up for what I believe in politics and the world.

We are also reflecting on our trip and in fact just figured out that in the past year we have visited 20 countries, 12 states, 124 cities and towns, and slept in 154 different beds. Yikes! Now again that may sound crazy and hectic and on one level it is. But the trip has actually been blissfully laid-back and relaxing. We’ve always been able to see what we want, stay longer in a place, and do what really interests us nearly every day. It’s been a job for year, but an extremely rewarding and enlightening one. The other amazing thing is that I can remember and recall every single place we have visited in order and tell you what the city, sights, people and bedroom looked like. Don’t ask me what I did the past 10 years at my desk job, since I can only remember the big things there…most is a blur. Clearly travel to new places taps a different part of your mind that is unused by other activities. So when people ask if the trip is mind expanding? Well, yes it clearly is.

So we are getting on a Shinkansen to Takayama now and this may be the last entry until I touch the sweet ground at SFO and hug a burrito at 16th and Mission.

Bon Voyage -R

So on to Japan, the finale to our round the world trip and somewhere that we were both looking forward to for a long time. Of course the cliches about the Japanese are many, but I expected that like many places we have been, the culture would have strong influences from the Western world and English would be virtually everywhere. How unique can a culture be that is so engaged in the world, has a strong democracy, and has been prosperous for nearly a century, with a 2000 year history all containing evidence of advanced civilizations. But it`s not the same here…as the most striking thing about Japan so far is the fact that it is SO Japanese. What I mean is that the culture is really different.

STREET LIFE IN OSAKA…DOGS, BIKES, AND FASHION

So many places are emulating the “West”, but Japan plays by its own rules, its own music, food, and most significantly, its very distinct rules of social engagement. And the level of English is quite limited in places. It was a bit shocking at first, but starts to make more sense as we start to understand a bit of the Japanese mindset. They are a great civilization and don’t really need all the outside help that other countries do to succeed. Not that they won’t help as they are incredibly generous. But they don’t have to. Oh, and yes, they are some of the nicest and kindest people you will ever meet. Cheryl wants to adopt about half the Country and take them home with us. “Adorable, she says constantly” And they are.

So why do I love the Japanese (so far)….

1) THE CITIES…..Tokyo (and even Osaka) are stupendous achievements in human development. How 35 million people can live in a metropolitan area with little poverty, crime, or open space is a testament to their engineers, planners, but mostly, to a culture that puts the greater good above individual glory. It’s the only way it could work. The lights, streets, and scene in Tokyo is as amazing as I expected, but the most amazing thing to me was that it was such a pleasant city in places. It actually has an intimate feel on many of the streets and wonderful back alleys that are crammed with restaurants, shops, and a million other uses up to 10 floors (not to mention the thousands of high rises). It also is very human scaled and a delight to walk around as a pedestrian.

CHERYL IN THE GINZA DISTRICT..NOTICE THE LACK OF CARS

Clearly the easy and free movement of people on their feet has been thought out at every corner, since 99% of the people walk a lot every day to get to and from the trains and subways and everywhere they are going. China needs to study Tokyo a bit more as it overdevelops its cities.

2) THE ORDER….The Japanese are patient. Everyone stands left on the escalators…..the train station platforms have marked lines and people actually wait for everyone to get off the trains before boarding. Respect for elders is a given. Cars wait for all pedestrians to cross a crosswalk, and there is almost no jaywalking (except for us).

WALKERS ON THE RIGHT AND BIKES TO THE LEFT, PLEASE!

You can leave your bag and wallet on a table to save it and walk away…and it will be there when you return. We see people do this everywhere. Travelling alone on the train and want to go to the bathroom..just leave all your stuff and no worries. This really takes a lot of stress out of travelling here.

3) TRANSPORTATION Bicycles are used everywhere in every city and get the respect of all as they are a basic part of the transportation system. The old and the young ride side by side and everywhere, and there is no need for the helmets and gear that people think is required to safely ride a bike at 8 mph down a separated cyclepath or lane.

ORDER OUT OF CHAOS….ALWAYS

The trains are a joy to ride…always on time, comfortable, and the Shinkansen bullet trains get you from one end of the country to the other in hours at 250-300 kph. The shinkansen system just makes us cringe that the US hasn’t made any effort to build similar systems to link major cities in California, Texas, Florida, the Northeast (Acela?)

TOHOKU SHINKANSEN….GREATEST TRAIN SYSTEM IN THE WORLD

4) THE FOOD……The quality of the food here is top notch almost everywhere you go. The fresh seafood is some of the best that i have ever had and the street food is pretty tasty too. They take great pride in food and ingredients and you can taste this in the wonderful tofu, soba, vegetables, seafood and thousands of specialty foods that make each meal a surprise, but always good. And contrary to popular belief, the food is quite reasonable and certainly no more than SF or NY for prices. (Sure amazing meals can be had for $100, but the country abounds in great little neighborhood places where you can get tasty meals for 2 for $15-30. Even the train food is memorable as we were able to order fresh Sukiyaki (Soba wheat noodles that you dip in a soy-vegetable base mixed with a raw quail egg) on the train and it was delivered at a stop an hour later and brought to our seat 15 minutes after being boxed up! This was no AMTRAK microwaved sausage pucks.

PUB GRUB? I DON’T THINK SO…LOCAL WILD MUSHROOMS AND HOKKAIDO FARM TOFU

And there are microbreweries popping up all over the place with great beer and food as we had one of our most memorable meals at the Taisetsu Ji Brewery in the little touristed small city of Asahikawa on the Northern Island of Hokkaido.

5) THE COUNTRYSIDE…. The country is incredibly scenic and unique as the volcanic landscape, forests, temperate climate, and proximity to the ocean makes for great scenery around every bend in the train tracks.

MT. ASAHIDAKE IN HOKKAIDO – JUST ANOTHER AMAZING VOLCANO

You could clearly spend years here exploring the national parks, trails, and other natural wonders from North to South.

6) THE PEOPLE (you knew this was coming) Every interaction with every single person here has been positive…and trust me, in Japan, you have a lot of interactions with people when competing any activity or transaction. They take pride in their work and their country, no matter how insignificant the task may seem. They will make sure that you are satisfied and not stand still until they are sure that everything is o.k. WE have made new friends in one memorable day. A Japanese friend from San Francisco put us in contact with his cousin and his wife in Tokyo and they planned a fantastic trip up North to Towado-Ko (lake) and the incredibly scenic Oirase gorge.

TAKESHI, CHERYL, AND KAORU ON THE OIRASE VALLEY TRAIL

They arranged their schedules around ours, arranged for transport to and from the National Park, and insisted on paying for it all. We will repay them someday when they visit the US, but they have left a lasting impression on us with their kindness that we will take with us always.

FUN AT THE BUS STOP IN AOMORI PREFECTURE

And don’t fall for the cliche that the Japanese are uptight, as they are a fun-loving bunch and probably socialize more than most Westerners can handle. And that’s where a lot of the differences come up. Americans often try to avoid social interaction, while the Japanese prioritize it.

As for our travels, we are in the home stretch, but still have nearly two weeks to savor Japan before returning to the exciting next country called “California”. Sounds a bit scary, and I`m not sure if we even speak that language.

-Rich

Greetings Friends;

Before I devolve into the wonders of Japan, I’d like to briefly relay our last experience in China on the fantastic Shanghai Maglev Train on the way to the airport. It was a sort of must do for a transport junkie like myself. It is the fastest passenger train in the world and covers 20 km in about 8 minutes.

MAGLEV TRAIN COMING INTO THE STATION

There are just two stations and it looks like something out of Futurama, including the incredible banked turns at near full speed.

THE “VIEW” AS WE APPROACH TOP SPEED!!”

The amazing thing is that it takes 3 minutes to get up to speed and another 3 to slow down so you`re only at top speed of 431 kph (267 mph) for 2 minutes, but man, I tell you, if they could put such a thing between SF and LA, well, I might even look forward to going to LA.

YUP, 431 KPH!

You can watch the cars on the freeway as the train passes and they appear to be standing still (despite the Chinese penchant for speeds of 150 kph on the freeways!) It really is quite a rush, despite the fact it appears to have been mostly a waste of money in a country that could really use some more basic infrastructure and environmental improvements. And really no one needs to get to the airport in 8 minutes. 30 minutes would have been just fine. But man, it is SO FAST!!!!

China is so overwhelming that it almost feels like a dream. The skies of every city are filled cranes, there are new shops, roads, impressive buildings, and thousands of cars being added to the roads every day.

HERZOGS AND DE MUERON’S “BIRD’S NEST” OLYMPIC STADIUM

YEARS OF FOUL AIR A PRICE FOR THE NEW BEIJING OLYMPIC PARK

There are throngs of people everywhere, all the time. There is no escape, especially for a 6′-5″ gringo. Touts, staring, and pushy people can make a simple trip down the street exhausting given the wrong frame of mind. But of course, many people have new places to live and shop, new things to buy, and loads of new problems associated with the much revered gods of capitalism: Ford, Gucci, Adidas, Starbucks, and KFC. And it gets worse….

OPENING SOON….WAL-MART XI’AN

But the price is huge, as the air burns your eyes and gets in your lungs. Hundred of millions of people pay the price of this rapid development every time they breathe, every day. We will leave in two days. Is it worth it? Is there another way? Will the struggling rural masses be happier in new high-rise housing. Will they be happier driving to work, talking on their cell phones, and siting in traffic behind air-conditioned comfort. They seem pretty happy and its so hard to project our prosperous experience on people that have not had the opportunities to live with economic freedom. Everyone must figure out their own happiness, just as we are trying to in our lives. It feels like a cross between a giant experiment in mass urban living and a mardi-gras like orgy of new capitalists.

PING-PONG IN THE PARK – XI’AN

Even car parking is beginning to be a problem and while cycling along just one block in Beijing I saw a guy arguing with a parking officer about a ticket and two people shouting at each other after a fender bender….ahh makes me feel right at home back in the States. Welcome to high blood pressure and dealing with car mechanics.

So what about bikes? We have had the pleasure to bike in 4 or 5 cities in China and its still the best way to get around most places, but this is changing fast. Most larger roads in Shanghai have banned bikes and scooters and they are now forced onto small back streets to get around. Sounds nice right? But these back street routes have too many bikes and scooters, and the roads are interrupted every 4 blocks or so by the main massive roads where bikes mass up waiting for 5 minute long red lights to change. Things were better in Beijing where big (and often fully separated) bike lanes exist on almost every major road and of course, riding in the back alley Hutong neighborhoods is great on bikes.

HAPPY FLORAL DELIVERY – CHENG DU

Short of Scandinavian, it was probably the easiest city to cover serious ground on by bike, even without a bike map. And cover it we did. We rode everywhere. And the best thing to do in Xi’an. Rent bikes and ride around on top of the wall. No question, it was a blast….13 km high ring road for bikes.

ALL HAIL THE BICYCLE ON THE ANCIENT WALL OF XI’AN!!

So I dwell on the negative a bit eh….well the big Chinese cities have worn me down, but not broken my spirit. There is still a lot of wonderful old China around, and you can get smiles from all just walking through any old neighborhood off the normal tourist track. Get on a bike and the smiles multiply. Everyone biking seems pretty happy as you can comfortably ride side by side on most bike lanes and chat with your buddy on your commute home. Cyclists smile, laugh, and don’t seem to be in any rush.

GREAT BIKEWAYS IN BEIJING – YUP BIKES A LITTLE SMALL SIR

Car drivers we have encountered seem unhappy, almost everywhere. We’ve had some miserable taxi drivers and most drivers feel their right to the road entitles them to barge full speed at pedestrians, bikes, and the elderly in wheel chairs (saw a car honk aggressively at one today) Two nights ago I walked out the door of our apartment place in Shanghai and saw a black car smash a bike rider. She got up, brushed herself off and tried to spin her dented wheel, while the driver kept his window up and then just drove away after seeing that he actually didn’t kill her. As wonderful as the remaining bastions of bike culture are, the car thing here is ugly and depressing. Hopefully the government and society will try to change the drivers attitudes on killing and maiming other people. Don’t hold your breath…..wait, do hold your breath as the air is unfit for human consumption. Oh yeah, and every time you buy something, think about if you really need it, cause it’s production is probably is shortening peoples lives here via polluted air, water and disappearing resources. Do you really need it?

So China has been amazing, but makes you either fear or hope for the future…haven’t decided which yet?

There are more than a few moments of the past 10 months of travelling that I will never, ever forget, but today’s experience here in the Yunnan province of China may end up near the top of that list. Cheryl and I arrived to Kunming, China from Singapore about 10 days ago and spent 3 nice days exploring the surprisingly quiet and pleasant center of Kunming. They have eliminated one major through road and put the other underground for about a mile to create a beautiful new civic gathering space right in the center of the city and luckily our hotel was right on the new square.

NEW PEDESTRIAN SPACE IN KUNMING

The food, people, and relaxed vibe of Kunming were really surprising for a city of millions and it immediately eliminated a bunch of preconceived notions that we had about Chinese cities.

We then took a plush bus about 5 hours on a new motorway to Dali and spent two cold and wet days of unseasonable weather trying to get around the old city between heavy showers. Parts of the ancient city of Dali have been restored and are quite pleasant, but we found the side alleys and roads more interesting, especially for great dim sum mom and pop restaurants. After a fun 3 hour bus ride on a crammed mini-bus, we are now enjoying our last day of four in Lijiang, which sits just down a large valley at 8000 feet from the base of the awe inspiring giant mountain Snow Jade mountain (18,000 feet). The mountain has shown itself only a few times as it is generally shrouded in cloud cover.

We explored the restored UNESCO heritage old town for the first day and soon decided it was time to head out to the countryside on bikes. Lijiang is being developed rapidly as a major tourist destination for the Chinese and the countryside and nearby villages are getting encroached upon rapidly from the sprawl of Lijiang. Is is packed with Chinese tourists and probably less than 1% foreign tourists, so although it feels a bit like a cross between Disneyland, Vegas, and Venice, it still feels unique to us as there are very few Westerners. And the whole middle-class tourist scene of the new China is something to behold in itself.

Although Lijiang is growing by the minute, on bikes you quickly find your way into villages full of the local minority Naxi culture, which is an ancient group related to some Tibetan tribes and with a related range extending down to Northern Thailand.

NAXI TRADITIONS STILL STRONG NEAR LIJIANG

The traditional Naxi are quickly identifiable by their blue colored dress and definitely have a look different from the Han Chinese. They still use traditional methods to cultivate the land and can be seen using oxen, carts, and loads of human muscle to go about their daily routines. It’s quite an amazing sight to see, especially so close to the new China. The changes here are happening so fast it’s mind boggling and you can tell that the traditional people in this valley will be all but assimilated in the next 10-20 years, short of the approved historic tourist villages being developed by the government.

Yesterday we explored north up the valley riding through some nice countryside and villages, and stopped for lunch in the touristed Baisha village.

We had a wonderful lunch of traditional Naxi fare in Baisha which Cheryl will cover in her upcoming food blog. So today we wanted to see more and headed west of the city towards some vague villages on the hillside. And after a few dead ends into farmland and depressing slum zones that seem to exist in between the old and the new, we found our way past a few traditional Naxi villages. We passed an especially lively courtyard (a signature construction feature of Naxi homes) and I stopped to take a picture into it, but was soon getting yelled at by the Naxi men playing Ma Jong and drinking tea.

So we took the plunge, parked our bikes, and headed in to sit at the tiny benches to enjoy a simple tea break. The crowd of 20-30 was soon aroused and presented us with one cup of great green tea and some sunflower seeds to chew on. (I was also offered a cigarette, but declined)

CHERYL ENJOYING GREEN TEA IN THE COURTYARD

So we sat and smiled with our tea for awhile and decided it was time to head back out, but again were confronted with friendly faces clearly insisting that we sit and eat. So we did.
And soon it appeared nearly the whole village was starting to arrive and settle in around the dozen or so tables to enjoy lunch (or brunch as it was just after 11?)

THE NAXI LUNCH SCENE

It also appeared that we might be occupying someones table in the courtyard, so luckily we got invited up to a table of 6 very elderly Naxi women.

HEY, WHOSE IS OUR SEATS?…THE WOMEN ARRIVE

Cheryl and I sharing a bench on one side of our table for 8. Now remember we speak very little Mandarin (which was worthless with the older Naxi anyways) and two words of butchered Naxi from the lonely planet, hello and thank you. But you can say a lot with smiles, gestures, and the shared enjoyment of a great village meal.

Then the food arrived…loads of it, and very delicious with a bowl of soft animal fat, spicy liver(?) with crunchy vegetable, tofu, fried pork(?), dried beef with peanuts, chicken and green onion, glass noodles, eggs, shrimp, mystery crunch veg, and spicy fish, all served communal style in a wonderful feeding frenzy as the women pushed each dish on us and we all dove in with chopsticks (Cheryl and Rich think “Hep A/B shots…check”)

AMAZING SPREAD – THIS IS NOT PEASANT FOOD

We rubbed our bellies and all laughed as we bumbled a few times with the chopsticks, although I must say we held our own with the ladies. They also insisted that we have some Cola and then add Dali beer to it which was not a drink destined to creep into the trendy bar scene anytime soon. We think that one of the women said that she was 90 years old and we believe it as they all had faces with a million stories. We wished we could have exchanged more words, but it didn’t matter. It was a magical and I imagine we at least made their week for excitement.

CHERYL AND HER NEW FRIENDS

So we took a few more photos (and shared them with all), paid the cooks a reasonable sum for the feast, and waved goodbye. We headed back out on our bikes through the village charged with life and both knowing that this was not a lunch we would ever forget. No tourists, “restaurant”, menus or anything within miles. Just two slightly bewildered and open minded Americans enjoying a sunny lunchtime meal with 6 Naxi women and half a village.

The world is a great place when you just smile and take the plunge. (oh yeah and approach it on bikes)

Peace, R

Hi all. My leg cut is healing up well thank you very much, so it’s time to move on and reflect on our longest stay of our trip. We’ve had three (mostly) relaxing weeks in Sydney and manged to see quite a bit of the city and its residents, while admittedly spending more time on their slow transit system than we would have cared to. This extended time has given us the time to explore the city at a slower pace and gain impressions that we might have missed in a 3 or 4 day visit typical of most tourists.

We got haircuts, China visas, and even some new clothes. We shipped our bikes and gear via sea freight (fingers crossed), attended a symphony, and visited two doctors offices. The gloss of a few days as a tourist were replaced by the reality of trying to live a more normal (and car free) life in the city. [o.k. minus the work thing of course] As for my impressions…..well, I don’t feel the strong urge to pack up and move here permanently as it’s not a great place to live car-free, cycle, or even walk for that matter. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a big, vibrant city that has tons going for it and some really cool old neighborhoods on the inner trains lines, and a fairly vibrant culture, but could I live here? Yes. Would I prefer it over SF? No.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE IN YOUR FACE

Sydney has coastal areas with beaches and landscape that are some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. Anywhere in the world. (which is bigger now) Absolutely crystal clear and soft water, with good surf if you want it or gentle bays if you want that. If you’re into the water and can afford a place with a good commute, then it certainly seems to rate up there in the quality of life. And enjoy the water we have! Our local beach has the somewhat famous Bronte “Bogey Hole”, which consists of a series or large rocks that protects a corner of the beach from surf and creates a giant outdoor swimming area with fish, rocks, and soft sand. With swim goggles, it’s often like swimming in an aquarium. Of course Bronte also has an amazing actual saltwater pool that is also great to swim in. It’s really cool at high tide when the swell is big as waves break into part of the pool.

BRONTE POOL OVER TOPPED BY WAVES

Our little corner of Bronte beach really is one of the nicest coastal nooks that I have ever seen, especially with so many people near it to enjoy it at all hours a day. It’s no wonder that the Aussie’s have such a spectacular swimming record in competition; as it’s really part of the culture with pools everywhere to fill in away from the beaches. You can see 6 year-olds diving and swimming with goggles like little pros. The ocean and harbour coasts have loads of walkways and paths to explore and provide some very peaceful locations to live as there are many stretches with limited and quiet roads.

ME AND MY (FORMER) BOSS AND FRIEND MIKE ON THE SPIT TO MANLY WALK

Needless to say, property values along the quiet waterfront areas have gone into the stratosphere during the recent property boom here. However, just head over the first ridge from the ocean and the city sprawls to the North, South and West in a often drab and classic suburban pattern that gives the cyclist or pedestrian the feeling of not really belonging. It offers lots of opportunities for new immigrants and my impression is that it is not be a bad place to raise a family. If you have money and can afford to live by the shore, then it is a fantastic place by many measures. However I noticed while biking that the wealthier Eastern suburbs seem to have even more cars zipping around which jams the rest of the city up for the transit dependent and lesser affluent. Another big problem is the lack of pedestrian right of way (by law) and the lack of nearly any stop signs. Cars zip around with the expectation that pedestrians will stay out of their way. To add insult to injury (which are frequent for pedestrians here), you have to push a button at every traffic light crossing in the city: even in the densest downtown grid. It’s crazy as you often just miss a light cycle by a second or two and have to divert left or right to find the button. It’s really nasty for the elderly or mobility impaired. It’s also really uncivilized for such a “developed” country and makes California’s pedestrian rights and drivers look like a dream.

The other problem for me living here is that away from the coasts, there aren’t really that many parks and some of the biggest that we explored either have cars circling around inside (Centennial) or a highway cutting though them (The Domain and botanical gardens). Hyde Park is right in the business district and has some beautiful old trees, but is too small and ringed by traffic clogged streets to give you any real feeling of oasis such as you can find in other urban parks such as Central Park, NY, or even Golden Gate Park. The Botanical Gardens are extremely well maintained, signed, and served with bathrooms and benches which make them one of the most pleasant places to stroll in Sydney. They also connect the waterfront to the fabulous Opera House building which really is an impressive building. We got an even better look at it a few nights ago while attending a symphony performance in the main concert hall. The harbour, quay, and bridge really are one of the most beautiful waterfronts I’ve seen and seem to warrant all the raves that I’ve heard over the years.

SYDNEY SANDSTONE ALONG THE SHORE AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS

So what does everyone in Sydney constantly talk about? All the time? Rugby and traffic, but not in that order. We hear and see daily the nightmare of traffic clogged streets that just seem to be getting worse by the month. The problem is simple…the fact that almost everyone here buys into the car culture and wants to drive as soon as they can get the opportunity, despite a massive public transit system. They fund transit, but they fund roads and new highways even more. Transit is clearly neglected and not prioritized in the transportation planning the way it should be. Not that the transit system isn’t used, but it is clearly a small minority who use it by choice, especially the buses. The rail lines and ferries are quite efficient and seem to be better run than the buses. This is similar to the situation in hundreds of big cities around the world right now, but he accommodation for cars here is immense and there are highway tunnels everywhere, and new ring highways planned. Again, they have built a new rail line (and one light rail line) in the past 10 years, but that doesn’t really help such a burdened system. They clearly need to limit or charge private autos who are delaying others and give it back to to the one million people who take transit daily here. A congestion charge may be a big answer here.

I also suspect those in charge of transit here may not really understand what people want who depend on transit. Dozens of buses (the system is so confusing) running down loud traffic clogged streets is not a replacement for the old trams they had apparently until the 1950s. Luckily, there is already a call to bring back one of the trams, as these can provide much better street level transit in the well-developed neighborhoods here.

Good Planning? There has been some traffic calming in some of the nice old downtown neighborhoods which has created some very livable streets and even allows bikes to get around in some peace for at least a few blocks. But from my perspective biking, walking and riding the buses for 3 weeks, these efforts fail due to the general accommodation for cars in 99% of the city. Cars are aggressive towards bikes and pedestrians and it shows in the cyclists and walkers behavior.

YES SYDNEY, PLEASE SLOW THE $%&# DOWN!

People dash and cower as walkers, while cyclists are rebellious daredevils, with slower bikes often illegally plying the busy sidewalks to stay alive. Again, it’s really shocking for a western country and has made both Cheryl and I a bit pissed off. If we WERE living here, there would be a new advocacy group started tomorrow! (Cheryl did write the big local newspaper with our impressions as travelers)

Another extremely positive impression of Australians are that they really are exceedingly friendly, just about everywhere, and will go out of their way to help you out at the drop of a hat. However, there is also a huge drinking culture that permeates society, as heavy drinking seems to be a sport of choice for many people here which you can see on the streets and read about in the papers (all the problems). Of course, an 18 drinking age and bars open t’ill 5 or 6 a.m. does not help. It’s rowdy and fun at times, but kinda a big problem for the health of the society.

SYDNEY, I’M SORRY IT’S JUST TIME TO MOVE ON

So that’s all I’ve got for now on Sydney as yesterday we departed Sydney Central on a lovely 2-hour train ride up to the Blue Mountains. We’re loading up a bit on fresh air and practicing our Mandarin phrases and getting in a few days of nice hiking in the sandstone canyons and hills that have served as Sydney’s closest natural park getaway for a 100 years.

GRAND STAIRWAY – BLUE MOUNTAINS NP

Then it’s back into Sydney for a night and off to Singapore on Thursday. As always, a new adventure awaits and this always gets us reinvigorated for the travel life. In addition, Singapore knows how to do transit and I’m sure we’ll be feeling less like marginalized outcasts on their well funded and effective system for moving 4 million people with a very low car ownership rate. And Cheryl has already got the best food courts and street stalls figured out…should be tasty.

So goodbye Sydney; we’ll never forget you, but I suspect we won’t be running back until you give back some rights to people who just want to cross the street…buy groceries without a car, and get across town on a bicycle. What a concept.

So in case you didn’t know, to get emergency services in Australia you dial 000 instead of 911. Luckily, we didn’t need to resort to this yet, but I did have my first incident requiring medical attention in our 10 months of travels. It was a bizarre sort of injury that only happens to a cyclist who spends too much time on a bike, as we have been so lucky so far to avoid any major mishaps in our 10 months to date. We’ve survived auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws, open buses, dodgy ferries, and even a night taxi drive in rural India (the most dangerous thing ever by far!), and had barely a flat tire while cycling the South Island of NZ for nearly 4 weeks.

So we were enjoying a nice day out to the Sydney Olympic Park, which is a huge (~1000 acre) reclaimed and redeveloped area about 20k from the city centre obviously created for the massive 2000 summer Olympics. It has dozens of stadiums, centres, fields, pavilions, but best of all, they’ve created the legacy of a usable park for everyone to enjoy which contains bikeways, paths, and natural areas all the along the Parramatta River and its estuaries. Unfortunately, like most of Sydney, it suffers from somewhat poor signage. The bikeways are sort of signed in places, but you frequently come to roads or 3-4 way intersections where there is no clue given. But they do have park maps located at many places, so we got in the quick habit of pulling over to look at these. Unfortunately, I stayed on my touring bike seat and leaned forward to look at the small map and my front wheel dropped into a little depression/hole between the sign and the paved path which was hidden by the shadows. Crazily, my right foot was clipped out and angles sideways a bit just in the line of the dropping outer chain ring. It made an impressive slice into my leg, removing a small chunk of flesh (better clean my chain), and leaving me with a bloody wound that Cheryl and I both agreed needed more than our normal trail side medical attention.

Ahhh….behold the amazing bandana Tourniquet

So we headed to the information center, which was also poorly signed as they still had signs for the old center 1km away in some places just to mess with us I think?!? But as always in Australia, the staff at the info centre were really, really nice and very helpful. They immediately called the park ranger and about 10 minutes later he arrived and pulled my makeshift tourniquet away to exclaim “Crikey, you need to go to doctor, mate!” (Or something to that effect).

THE WOUND BEFORE STITCHES….KINDA GROSS

So the staff called the local medical centers and a taxi and we all decided that it was best to go the nearest ER as the cut needed to be cleaned up and probably stitched. I’m thinking “Crikey, the ER? This is going to cost us $1000.

THESE 3 LINES OF PAPERWORK ARE BRUTAL!

So after almost no paperwork and an explanation that it would cost us AUD$95 (~US 80) for the doctor to see us, we waited for about 20 minutes. I was seen by a really nice young Filipino doctor that we immediately bonded with as he was so relieved to have patients he could understand. He had been born and raised on American English and said he had a really hard time understanding the local dialect, especially since we were in a more working class neighborhood where the accents were really, really heavy. He did a great job stitching me up and even provided some extra bandages for us.

ALL DONE…5 STITCHES! (LARGE IMAGE FOR DR. BRINKMAN’S REVIEW)

And yup, the total cost for everything was the 95 bucks. It’s barely worth saving the receipt to claim, especially since this is our first dip into our $1500 deductible insurance year while travelling. Medical care really is cheaper everywhere but the US. and now I understand why people freak out when they travel to the US and need outrageously expensive travel insurance.

THE HAPPY DOCTOR AND PATIENT AFTER A JOB WELL DONE

My other rather egocentric thought right after the accident was “Oh crap, no swimming for the rest of our time in Sydney”, so I was extremely relived to hear the doctor say, “Yes you’ll need some stitches, but you can swim after 3 days!” So the wound has healed nicely and I’ve been back in the wonderful ocean here the past two days again thinking, “How Am I going to go back to work after this trip…?” The water is so clean, clear, and liberating….tomorrow I get the stiches out and we are going to an evening symphony performance at the SYdney Opera House……How indeed will I go back?

-R

So we last left you in Melbourne as our gracious hosts, Tanya and Eric took us wine tasting in the beautiful Yarra River Valley and to the Healsville Animal Sanctuary. The sanctuary has all the lovable and odd Australian critters mostly out and about in a very nice setting somewhere between a zoo and a wild animal park. Koalas, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Platypus, and a wild raptor show that was amazing.

THE FEARSOME KANGAROOS!

Eric even cooked us some delicious Kangaroo that night, so we got to both cuddle and devour the critters in the same day. (Sorry if this is creeping out our vegetarian friends)

Overall we really liked the vibe of Melbourne and it was extremely easy to get around on both bike and transit, with really nice river pathways that get you into downtown on bike from just about any side of the city. Good food too.

But alas it was time to leave lovely Melbourne and move on again, so we loaded up all our worldly possessions onto our bikes and did the easy ride down to the Southern Cross rail Station to catch the regional Vline train to the Victorian “High Country”. Tanya and Eric had brilliantly recommend this as the perfect stop between Melbourne and Sydney. The V-line from Melbourne was kinda of cramped for a nearly 3-hour ride, but we forgave that as they are very nice to bicycles, allowing you to put your bikes in a fairly large luggage car without the ridiculous requirement of dissembled into a box. Once in Wangaratta we had the challenge to find a place to leave our half our gear for the week while we toured up the valley by bike. No luck at the train station or tourist office, but the nice folks at the clean, comfortable, and retro (unintentionally) Millers Cottage let us leave two duffles there for the week while we rode which was a lifesaver, as we had to do something with our RTW stuff as our bikes nearly sag to the ground under our the full load of our gear.

The High Country is not one of the the most famous of Australian destinations and a bit off the beat and track, and we were probably the only foreign tourists that we noticed up in the area, but there were quite a few Aussies from the region. So naturally we loved it. Of course there is also a great 97 km rail-trail and rail access to the trailhead from Wangaratta, right on the main line from Melbourne to Sydney. We even found some great Thai food.

EXCUSE ME, ON YOUR RIGHT!

Now I use quotes not to belittle the beauty of the area, but to emphasise the fact that it’s just not that high in the high country. The highest mountain is about 2000 meters, while most of the towns are at 300-500 meters. Apparently there is a somewhat brief ski season there from late June to August, although the past few years of drought have not been kind to the area for both farming or skiing. There is also a growing wine and gourmet food industry, with olives, mustards, breads, and cheeses being produced all over the region. And the wine, cheese, and olives we sampled were superb. The Darling-Murray river basin is one of the largest agricultural regions of Australia and produces about 1/3 of their food. Unfortunately the area is in severe drought and farmers are at risk of losing entire crops this year, with major discussions here about a potential long-term crisis blamed primarily on the climate change that is already occurring. Of course, the current federal government here is even more hostile to science and reason that ours, and once again, the individual states are taking it upon themselves to do something about the issue. The State of Victoria has a large wind and solar farm initiative and there are other future plans to reduce carbon emissions. Sounds familiar.

THE BEAUTIFUL DECENT FROM BEECHWORTH

So the cool thing about taking the rail trail up the valley is the fact that biking is the absolutely perfect pace to appreciate this countryside. It’s too vast to walk, but driving it you miss out on the wonderful birds, pungent eucalyptus, and gentle autumn breezes. I thought the countryside was beautiful even in the drought, although I can only imagine how spectacular it would be in late Spring after a good winter of rain. The town of Bright at the upper end of the rail-trail was especially nice and has an alpine feel despite being only at elevation 300 m!? The people were really nice and much of the Autumn foliage was still bright despite the drought. There was also a great rail-trail spur up to Beechworth which is a historic Gold rush town that still has loads of the original 19th century buildings and a very laid back vibe. So we only saw about 250 km of the high country, but I think we got a small sense of some of the interior of this massive continent without having to rent a 4×4.

JUST ONE OF THE HAZARDS OF THE BUSH

When we returned to Wangaratta for our last night, where we had the somewhat typical demoralzing experience of taking long distance rail in a car country (e.g. Amtrak) and had booked ourselves and two bikes on Countrylink, the national rail service of Australia. Despite our train leaving at 11 a.m., we had to get to the train station at 8:30 to pick up two bike boxes and break down our bikes. What we didn’t realzie is that the station buidling actually closed at 9 a.m. and we got booted outside with all our gear and boxes to pack them in the dirty and abandoned parking lot out front.

BOXING OUR BIKES OUTSIDE THE WANGARATTA TRAIN STATION

We then had to drag the bike boxes and our gear to a separate “lower” platform about 300m away and wait for two hours for the train to arrive, as the station building really only served the V-line trains from Melbourne that we had arrived on. As the train approached, we dragged the boxes to the luggage end of the train and loaded the boxes (the agent wasn’t sure which end of the train the luggage car would be) in the roomy luggage car that could have fit 30 bikes if configured correctly, despite Countrylink telling us that they only allow 3 bikes/train and that you must reserve the space and pay for it. (Of course, our total gear was lighter than some of the suitcases that many people were travelling with) Now I don’t mind paying for reserved bike space, but please then don’t make me break dwon my bike into silly and wasteful boxes. It’s easier for everyone to keep the bikes assembled as many transit systems and even airlines have realized. Of course on the other end we had the challenge (which I do enjoy in a thrilling sort of way) of arriving in yert another city at night, assebling our bikes in the train station, and riding across the city to our hotel. We definataley have improved in bike dis/re-assembly as I think we had both bikes together in about 10 minutes!!!
The train ride itself was very pleasant and I must say, the trains are newer and more comfortable than Amtrak. And we were only about 20 minutes late.

NEW WORLD RECORD FOR BIKE ASSEMBLY IN SYDNEY CENTRAL STATION!

So we explored Melbourne to Sydney by bike and train, but much of it wasn’t easy, as everyone expects you to drive everywhere and that is the way the world is set up. Even the rail-trail was designed to be ridden via cars and shuttles for your gear as we were the only overnight touring cyclists we encountered. You know it’s really quite easy to carry gear on your bike, but you just need a little accomodation along the way, such as a safe place to put your bike (good thing we brought locks), and a train that you can ride up to, put your bike on and ride away from across the vast parking lots. It’s only difficult because we as a society have made it difficult.

THESE GREAT REST AREAS MADE THE TRAIL NICE

So now we’ve hunkered down in Sydney for about 3 weeks. We found a great little apartment sublet East of downtown in an area known as Bronte, which also happens to have a nice beach and park about 10 minutes walk down the canyon from our place. The water is stunning and the sandstone cliffs amazingly dramatic, while the bird life just continues to amaze us with its variety.

NEAR OUR APARTMENT IN BRONTE BEACH..WOULD YOU LEAVE?

So we plan to stay in the Sydney area until we fly to Singapore on May 10th. The Sydney area is a lot like the San Francisco Bay Area in that there is plenty to do and see in three weeks that is unique and unusual. We may venture as far as about two hours East by regional train to the nearby Blue Mountains, but one clear side effect of travelling so long, is that we just don’t feel the need to see every corner of the country, and are quite content to see one small corner between Melbourne and Sydney. This will also free our minds to absorb as much of the national culture and psyche as possible (except maybe for the common past time of frequent binge drinking with your mates) So please don’t ask us if we saw Ayers Rock or the Great Barrier Reef when we return, ’cause we didn’t. I’m finally catching up on the photos, so please visit our Flickr site for all the latest Australia photos. Coming Soon….reflections of Sydney (yup, been here long enough to have ‘reflections’!).

Cheers. -R

Greetings Mates…yes we arrived in Melbourne, Australia last Thursday(5-Apr) from Christchurch after ending our 3 1/2 week bike tour and brief 11-day sojourn with motorized transport exploring the South island of New Zealand. There is nothing more exciting than arriving in a foreign country for the first time and putting you bikes together in baggage claim, loading all your travel possessions for a year, rolling through customs, and heading out for an 18km ride across a large city without a map. Oh yeah, and at night too just to add to the fun. If you haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it as it will give you a whole new perspective on Airport travel as well as make you the conversation piece of customs and airport security. It is also an excellent way to test your marriage. We reckon about one in 100,000 travellers does this at most airports, with most settling for the more mundane taxis, buses, or Supper Shuttles. Where’s the adventure in that? Rolling away from an airport on bikes on roadways 100% NOT designed for bikes is so unique that most cars and taxis give you a wide berth, as people clearly relegate you to the category of “insane but on perhaps on parole”!

LAKE MATHESON REFLECTIONS – MT. TASMAN AND COOK IN THE CLOUDS

We had meant to print out some maps (or buy one) that our friends had emailed, but forget in our haste leaving Christchurch. Luckily, a random guy in customs handed us a city bike map for Melbourne which really helped us once we got closer to the city; however, outside this area were relying on some vague directions printed from the Cycle Victoria web site, but still only had to stop once to ask directions from locals. (Of course, a regular road map doesn’t help you as a cyclist much, since it may put you on a scary semi-highway, up massive hills, or run by a glass factory) So we frequently spent a few turns on the many roundabouts looking for a certain road. Of course one of the brilliant things about Roundabouts is that you can circle until you find your exit or at least review your options. Of course, yelling to Cheryl to turn across lanes of speeding traffic was not always successful, but we seemed to make it out of even the gnarliest double roundabouts (yikes), while always thinking “Stay Left, Stay Left, Stay Left!” There were some lovely four lane splits across tram tracks (which are everywhere in Melbourne) and a few construction nasty construction zones, but overall, I have to say the people of Melbourne were very kind to us on the road as we must of looked like confused ducklings trying to cross the rapids and they would always give us a wide berth (or nearly stop) and never honked! To our credit, we mostly rode in a predictable manner and were very well lit with loads of reflective clothing and gear. I emphasize the mostly.

BRAVE EXPLORERS OF THE FOX GLACIER, NZ

So on the New Zealand End, we rode to the Christchurch airport where we had a relatively easy time getting our bikes ready for the plane as Air New Zealand does not require boxing of bikes (thank you!) and we merely had to take off our pedals, loosen and turn the handlebars, and splice two baggage bags together to cover them (certainly not to protect the bikes, but to protect other luggage from grease according to Air NZ) Luckily as we were dropping off our rental car back in downtown Christchurch we stopped at the airport and left a duffel to lighten our cycle to the airport a bit and verified that they would have bags and tape at the airport, something I recommend prior to travelling with bikes no matter what they tell you on the phone! Oh yeah, and if you are going to travel the world with your bikes, business class really helps too, as they were very kind to us every step of the way. We also said goodbye to Robyn, our wonderful Servas host in Christchurch. She and her husband Alan had been so kind to us from our arrival to our departure 5 weeks later with great hospitality, food, and insight on NZ culture. We also got to know about their family and friends and day to day lives, as they couldn’t get rid of us so easily! Thanks again.

We had a brilliant cycle tour with our friends Mike and Nancy as we biked from Christchurch south to Dunedin, rode the Otago Central Rail Trail, and then head onto the Queenstown (when I last checked in with you) area and finally up the rugged West coast of the South Island.

A REST NEAR HOKITIKA ON THE WEST COAST OF NZ

Our 3 weeks of cycling was remarkably uneventful which is a good thing for bike touring as the wind, rain, and occasional double-long sheep trucks were enough to keep us all focused on our next good meal, some Monteith’s beer, and for Cheryl, of course, a bit of that tasty NZ Sauvingon Blanc. Most of all, it was a time for us to catch up with our great friends and reconnect with the world back home for awhile. And it appears we are all still friends, which is a very good thing. The West coast and glaciers were spectacular, and riding along in the thick and wet rainforest was quite surreal at times with the sounds of water and birds overwhelming the senses.

After a somewhat sad goodbye to Mike and Nancy, we decided that we would suave our sore butts for a bit and opted to rent a car for our last 11 days. We loved cycling in New Zealand, but having a car really gave us a chance to do some wonderful hiking, which is probably the Kiwis favorite past time, perhaps short of watching Rugby. We hiked the coast of Kaikoura, little-known “Sawcut Canyon”, a good day on the Queen Charlotte Track in Marlborough Sounds, and Mount Roberts and Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes NP. There is a lifetime of hiking in new Zealand and we only touched the surface, but it was really nice to have the time to enjoy each trail slowly and enjoy all of the amazingly different ecosystems that the little islands have.

As for Australia, we spent four great days in Melbourne staying with a former colleague of mine and her husband. They have a very peaceful new house in the Kensington neighborhood and graciously hosted us for the long Easter weekend. There is lots to talk about on Melboure, the Yarra Valley, and our trip here so far, but I’m going to wait to get some photos for the silly details. Right now, we’re in Beechworth, Victoria in the High Country area which is beautiful right now but quite dry due to the vicious drought they are experiencing all over Eastern Australia. We took the V-line train with our bikes and all our gear from Melbourne and have been riding the Rail Trail (Murray to the Mountains) and nearby roads for 5 days as a stop on our way to Sydney by train on Sunday. We are frantically looking for apartments in Sydney to call home for 3+ weeks to experience a stability and really get to know the other city by the Bay.

Stay Tuned for more on Hong Kong and other tidbits on the wonderful world of Oz.

Peace -R