Toyoko Inn Yokohama Nishi-guchi

... before hopping on another bus to the Waikiki beach. Once there, I grabbed a biscuit from McDonalds and experienced what felt like the biggest language barrier that I have had so far on trip. The woman taking my order could not decipher my Southern accent and from the look on her face you would have though I was speaking Chinese! Eventually I got my correct order and then headed off to look for a hotel for the night with the girls. We eventually ended up at the ...

... use our imaginations to enjoy, because they were probably curled up in their air conditioned pens in the back of their enclosures staying out of the heat. Onwards, through the bird exhibits, which, lets be honest, nobody really cares about. Yep, great. Birds. Moving right along. There were a couple of animals I'd never seen before, such as a "bush dog" which ran around in a pack and looked like a cross ...

... and yes it involves a lot of jumping. Poor Chris was a real sport today. He was really sick and still sang and jumped around with the kids. I have a lot of respect for him. I was feeling kind of sick at first, but it's funny because as soon as I started to play with the kids and stuff, I felt better. Kids are my remedy:) So Chris told a story with felts about the boy with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. I translated to the kids and found myself to be pretty enthusiastic. I ...

... got on the train, switching at Aoto without a hitch much to all our surprise. Then we had to find our hostel. I had the address written down and the subway exit we had to use which was supposedly a minutes walk from the station. Easier said than done when you walk out the exit and have about 5 different directions to choose from. After a bit of wandering down the wrong streets, we asked in the post office and he pointed out the back window of the building lol! Great stuff. We ...

... to head to the toilet in the airport, no lock on the door so I assumed it locked automatically. Bad assumption. Sitting there dropping a number 2 and the door opens and a japanese guy pops his head in, says sorry and closes the door. Not too bad - but the door is rigged to the flush so next thing I know the toilet is flushing mid wipe. After one more visitor (and one more flush), I got up and was just about to pull my pants ...

... an infinetely nicer area. Of course with this status is the darker side of Japan's past during WWII when, amongst other things, it was then obliterated by the Americans & had to be rebuilt. The harbour area is without doubt a very tranquil & beatutiful stretch incorporating Yamashita Park which has as its backdrop the impressive Yokohama Marine Tower which (i've just read) is the tallest lighthouse in the world! Coming back down to earth you can mill ...

... of guilt as a devout Catholic being excommunicated from the Vatican. At the next stop I told him to get off the train and come with me to the station police". The people around them reacted by backing off. They did not even try to co-operate with her capture of the man, she had to do it herself. She had to pull the man off the train and take him down. At investigation the man flatly denied his act. "He was so unrepentant. He even retorted 'So what!?". The ...

... it to us, along with manju, traditional Japanese sweets. The tea is green tea, whipped up in a bowl so that it's a bit frothy. I was afraid of burning my tongue, but with the wind, it cooled right down, and there's never that much to begin with, only about three moutfulls. I chatted a bit with one of the ladies and she told me about the sweets, which were apparently made by a famous shop in the area. Again, I'm ...

... off the water canons. Everyone was our on deck to bring the ship in and when it finally stopped moving we all erupted in cheers - it is our first "real" port as we have been putting it. We have a long early morning of diplomatic meetings we are students remember - ha - welcoming ceremonies, customs & immigrations, clearances, and debarkation. The hirls - Kelly, BethAnn, Marga and I plan to get lost in Koe today. We we will see how we do. So many people are saying that ...

... Narita to Seattle was special for the Captain of today's Airbus. After 29 years with the airlines, three and half of those years literally up in the air, The Captain was calling it quits. A remarkable achievement? Judi was unimpressed - "I've got 10 years on him, easy." The best thing about flying from Tokyo to Seattle is Flight Attendant Judi. Watching her crew work the main cabin on a 4800 mile flight is a demonstration in efficiency, diplomacy and love. The ...