b>Life and travel is not without it's hitches...even MY life and travels!

I arrived to Osaka airport quite unsure of my own arrival. All I knew was that I woke up because everyone was getting off and the cleaners were coming on. Having had an earlier experience with being kicked off a train in order for it to be cleaned, only to get back on the train minutes later- I wasn't convinced.

I exited the train looking for signs. Hmm. People standing outside the train with baggage. Not acceptably undeniable proof. I myself was standing outside the train with baggage.

Think...think...think...

I got out my train ticket which said Kyoto- Kenai airport a couple of numbers and a whole lotta' Japanese. I stopped a middleaged business man and pointed at my ticket then pointed to the floor while making my entire face into a question and finally shrugged my shoulders in askance.

He seemed mildly bemused by my antics but played nicely with a return of "Kyoto?" to which I shook my head, pointed at Kenai Airport while saying it outloud and then threw in a follow-up point to the ground while repeating the name Kenai.

He agreed and I made my way into the wild (but incredibly civilized) maze of the airport
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When I arrived at the counter finally after a succession of women giving me directions in Japanese, I was told that,"Oh. I'm terribly sorry. Your flight is delayed." Hmm... "How delayed?" She looked at the computer screen, bit her lip and looked away as if deciding whether or not to say. She then met my eyes and gave me a sympathetic but firm, "Five hours".

Wow. At the airport 3 and 1/2 hours early AND I get an extra 5 on top of that!
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I spent a good couple of hours smelling incense and eating samples. The most memorable were chocolate. One was incredible!! Truly fabulous, dark, smooth, creamy...even at 1000 Yen I considered buying it. Finally ruled it out after considering the hangover I'd get from eating all of it at once (as I was sure to do). The other chocolate was a sister to the first. This one however was coated in green which I assumed to be green tea. Most unfortunate assumption!! Tasted like fish. Mmm. Imagine -cool creamy seaweed/fish with chocolate. As delicious as it sounds. (shudder)
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Hours number 3 and 4
I pointed at a dinner of I-don't-know-what that was lovely. Ate slowly. Very slowly.
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Hours 6 and 7
Bought a Sapporo Shot Bottle and settled down in the lounge to watch an episode of Deep Space Nine (in English)
Not bad....
Not bad at all......
hmm...that bar's pretty close to the lounge...

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Hour number 8
....the piano has been drinking heavily.
Ladies and gentleman, Elvis has left the building. Please leave your 3-D glasses in the box with the attendant and thank you for coming to the show...
......please join us next time at the restaurant at the end of the universe for a show never to be forgotten!!
....the piano has been drinking, not me...


......only 42 minutes until we can finally board
la da da dem....the piano....heavily...

.......39 minutes.
I'm already making plans for the plane.
1. Put stuff in overhead compartment.
2. Sleep.
Right. Glad that's over with. 36 minutes......

..the piano has been drinking...and he's YOUR friend, not mine. He's NOt my ResPOnsiBility.....The piano has been drinking, not me..NOt mE....

Basic Japanese words to make you feel oh-so-cool

Before eating, put your hands together as if praying, bow and say: Itadakimasu smile, and eat.

After eating it's: gochisousamadeshita. Difficult. Between young people, just: gochi!
Thank you: Arigatou
Sorry: Gomennasai or just Gomen

Notes from Japan or Things you can ask Willow about Japan when you are bored and yet want to talk..

1. Romanticised and beautiful ideals full of tradition woefully bashed
2. Reality - modern industrial cities that have all but forgotten beauty
3. Difficulties in finding cool Japanese shirt -everything is in English
4. English in Japan -www.engrish.com
5. Bank card woes
6. 1950's -1970's dirt brown brick buildings
7. My new Japanese words
8. The sushi experience -specially "baby sized" for me!
9. Airport immigration sign:
"Passport holders from following countries don't need to report to desk A: Canada, USA, NZ, Germany, Australia, England....and some other countries too."
10. Miniskirts, sexy boots and BARE legs
11. Conveyor belt of sushi
12. Girls -learn to walk please!!

As of this moment, Japan Air is my favorite
The first plane, from Barcelona to Amsterdam was actually owned by Iberia. Not great, but for flights under 4-5 hours who cares?!!
I mean, face it- it if's cheap enough and safe, I'd fly in a tin can. I have in fact on a number of occasions.

For longer flights of 8-12 hours you need a little bit of comfort so that you don't go completely mental.

Face it. It doesn't take much -free alcohol, a window seat and a meal that doesn't look like somthing the cat dragged in. (Nice staff helps too!!)

Japan Air

Flight 412 is a huge plane. We had to enter from 2 separate ramps to make loading faster. Upon arriving to my seat, I was pleasantly surprised with personal screens. I LOVE personal screens!! Of course I've only ever had them once before on the flight to Belgium the night grandma Betty died, but I didn't hold the screen responsible and have always secretly hoped to have one again. Thirteen international flights later I got my wish!!
Who says 13 is unlucky?!
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All in all, the flight went well. I'm well caught up now on all of the films that will come to New Zealand theatres in the next year.

I had a window seat and two empty seats next to me- or rather I would have, had not an old Japanese man with fly-away white hair taken the opportunity to upgrade his own seating arrangement. He slept his fill in the two seats (he DID ask first) often spilling over into mine, at which point I always elbowed him a bit, which he didn't seem to mind too terribly.

He was actually rather nice. Looked a bit like a Japanese Christopher Lloyd.

Sadly the airport was nothing special, but as we descended, I was able to see many "fires"billowing smoke which later turned out to be an industrial area. Gave a weird hazy red glow to everything.

As we landed, I thought the airport looked exactly like DFW -the same dry look, same towers and colors of a desert. Inside it had sort of a generic office feel, a bit like Singapore, only without color. (Singapore is all about burgandy carpets and eighties motel flower patterns). Everything grey, right down to the "artistic" Welcome to Japan display.

On the bullet train -Another travel first
"Japanese style toilets on trains...."

You may remember my shock at finding in Italia that although I had paid a thousand lira, there was no toilet in my WC. Naturally I thought it was missing or broken. Then I began to realize that in fact I had just paid that thousand lira to squat over a unisex porcelain flushable hole in the floor.

hmm.

Well, on the Shinkansen (bullet train) it's a bit different.

In the men's room there appeared to be a urinal on the far wall. Now, to make sure that nothing funny goes on, there's a window so that you may watch the back of the peeing man if you wish.

Hmm..walking on...womens...

"Welcome to Japanese style. Please hold on to bar for your own safety"

The room is about 1and 1/2 times the size of your average toilet on a plane. To the right in the far corner is a sink. To the left is a pedestal stage about 20 centimeters high (7 or 8 inches) with a pink urinal on its back so that you may squat AND have most of the splash caught by the bowl. In the corner is a bar to hang on to...

Things to ask me about if you are bored...

1. Tapas Tapas -last meal with Raquel
2. New Years con tres Cataláns
3. El dia de Tres Reyes -how Mark and Willow drank for 12 hours and saw flying dinosaur bones on sticks with sparklers
4. Airport in Germany -how Willow forgot where she was, the flight she had just left, what airline it was, what airport she had just flown from, and most importantly her wallet (with all of her credit cards and cash cards) on the recently vacated mystery plane
5. A first for Mark
6. Alex meets his match
7. Catalán play with Maria
8. Season 8 of Friend -we watched it back to back for 12 hours
9. Geeks X-mas heaven
10. The search for Unistat
11. Oh what a difference a Depo makes!
12. Shopping -Geeks day out
13. Dutch Cookies -mmmmm good
14. Woman crushed by rock -street performer traumatises young concerned child
15. Topsy Turvy world gone mad! -I buy baggage, Mark gets action, and I mail HIM a package post-vacation?!!

Hola todos!
Unfortunately, I have not had a computer and have been updating my journals with the intent of writing up the blog. What does this mean to you? Well, I have decided to randomly put in updates from many different times throwing chronological thoughts to the wind. Since I'm rarely in the same country for very long, it doesn't really matter to you when any given thing happened and I have no sense of time anyway.

So....

It is the golden hour. The Catalan coastline with its golden sands and jade waters begins to fade in the distance while little white puffy clouds travel in packs obscuring the Pyranese.
...now it's gone. I am flying above a large white mist which hides my beloved Espana from view
Adeu Catalá.