And…we’re back online!

I said to Matt at the start of this blogging escapade that we were lazy people and we won’t update our blog regularly. In fact, he hasn’t done since he posted the first blog! But to our credit, we have had the following obstacles in our way.

1. Homeless for months. It’s hard living out of a suitcase and stealing internet. We have now found an apartment and internet was installed on the weekend! So now we don’t really have an excuse anymore.

2. School. Tokyo would be bloody fantastic if it wasn’t for the fact we had to work. It has been a really hectic 2 months for the both of us and combining the new school factor and living in and out of hotels, we have not had the energy to blog. School is going well though. I think my Grade 1s are finally getting the routine.

3. Moving in together. Tokyo is the first time Matt and I have lived together. It has been surprisingly easy although there are some issues with the constant mess that we both make and both refuse to clean up. We also seem to veg out more when we are together and therefore instead of being more efficient, we are actually worse together. 

Anyway…we have no excuse now hopefully Matt will post something up sometime soon.

Sorry to all our fans! (Colin especially because he is always on my case!)

Ohayoo Tokyo

Matt and I have finally arrived in Tokyo. We left Lausanne in different directions on Thursday (Me via Frankfurt and Matt via London) and we met again in our new apartment on Friday. The journey was long and arduous but we made it without paying an extra cent for excess luggage. The trick is to have a bag so fat that it doesn’t fit on the conveyor belt properly.

The weather in Tokyo has been hot, hot, hot and the humidity must be in the high 90’s. We would not have survived these last few days had it not been for the department stores and convenience stores which are simply everywhere in this giant city. The sights, smells and sounds can be overwhelming at times but most of the time they excite us with a new experience.

Japan is a small person’s place. Matt has found this out the hard way when he forgets to duck under doorways and corridors. When sitting down, his knees are almost at his chest. Me, I think everything is just perfect.

Today we went to Shibuya for a stroll and found our favourite store so far. It’s called Tokyo Hands and it sells everything from power tools to quirky Japanese toys. We loved the R2D2 soy sauce bottle and waste paper basket and are seriously considering it for our new apartment.

For all the geeks out there, we found these silly dogs which attach to your USB port. Hey, if you’re in front of the computer like me and not exercising, these dogs might as well do it.

One of the best things Matt and I have enjoyed so far is the food. Not only is it really goooooooooooood, it is much cheaper than we thought. Tonight, Matt and I had a sashimi dinner at home and it cost us less than 15AUD from the supermarket. Lunch at a simple restaurant was the same and we had so much food we couldn’t finish it. PLUS, Tim Tams are available at the local supermarket so life is all good.

Well, jetlag is still in my life at the moment so I’m logging off. Hope the beginning of the school year goes smoothly for everyone. Send us lots of messages and photos!

Cycling along the Danube

When Matt and I first got our jobs in Tokyo for this upcoming school year, I had big plans for our summer break. I thought that as it will be a while before we would possibly come back to Europe again and that once we got to Tokyo our lives would be very hectic, I imagined doing a lazy driving tour across some of the Mediterranean countries drinking wine, swimming and generally lazing about.

Matt had other ideas. Actually, sometimes the problem with Matt is that he has too many ideas and then irrationally changes his mind every minute about which idea is best. He wanted to something with some ADVENTURE and something DIFFERENT. When we finally decided to do a bike ride, it took some convincing that because we were unfit riders and that our language capabilities are not that great, that riding in Germany along the Danube would be best. Then I had to convince him that we wouldn’t be able to ride 3000 odd kilometres during our 3 and a bit weeks break all the way from Donaueschingen (Black Forest) to the Bl

ack Sea. What is it with men and lengths?

The ride along the Danube is quite easy, if you go the right way. There are not many steep hills and you can usually just cruise along at an easy pace. We tried not to pack too much  for our journey to minimise the weight of our bikes (but we did pack a tent and sleeping bags and mats just in case we didn’t find accommodation once we decided to stop.)

Day 1 – We go the wrong way… Not just a slight mistake, but a HUGE *&^%$^#%)&*(*) mountain kind of mistake. As we pushed our loaded bikes up an impossibly steep hill, we thought of people we passed along the way and felt for them. It was not until after much sweat and half an hour later that we knew what we had done. We were going to be the only riders going this way today and probably for the year.

Having done very little exercise in the previous weeks (I had sprained my ankle and Matt was just lazy, I mean busy…) this hill climb really took it out of us. Getting back on our bike at the top was not something I really wanted to do. Luckily for us, a nice local German man was able to tell us where we were and how off track we were (“You climbed ze mountain wiz your bikes???). Now that we knew where we were, all we needed to do was go down the mountain again. We couldn’t go down the same way. The track we had come up on was rocky and uneven. We went down the fast way…down the highway.

I’m not a speed demon. In fact, I don’t like to go too fast, especially when my brakes are not tuned properly. Matt on the other hand loved it. I nearly had a heart attack just watching him go down the mountain. He had no helmet but he had plenty of balls as he screamed down the mountain winding his way in record speed to the bottom. I, on the other hand, tried to mimic the actions of ABS braking systems as I rode down the mountain. The gradient of the road was so steep (and my brakes were that bad) that even when I clamped down hard on my rear brakes (my knuckles were white), my bikes still slid down the mountain at good speed. Luckily I still had front brakes but I really didn’t want to be thrown over the top of my bike so I used on and off, like ABS. By the time I got down the mountain, Matt was so concerned about me that he looked like he was about to come back up to find me in case I had an accident.

There are many little towns along the Danube, some bigger than others and some more exciting than others. During our trip we generally stayed in cheap little B&B style accommodation which were fine for what we were after. Most of the towns, however, were closed and deserted by the time we arrived so for most nights it was an adventure trying to find dinner and then going back to our room to watch CNN and BBC. Exciting stuff eh? Our favourite accommodation places included a philosophical and theological conference centre in Beuron, our Japansese sized bedroom which just fits a double bed and a shower cubicle room in an eccentric Spanish woman’s hotel in Ulm and JC’s old town apartment in Regensburg (JC’s place was free, accommodated hot pot dinners and he had great beer!).

Unfortunately for Matt and myself, our inability to read maps and follow directions was not the only thing hindering our ride. We had to replace a couple of tyres and a pedal crank on Matt’s bike. Luckily for us, we were close to big towns when the mishaps occurred but we still had to wait as small towns seemed to love their long lunches and were closed accordingly. For these things to happen to Matt’s bike is particularly funny for me as he was always telling me my bike was a piece of poo. My bike survived the whole trip and I was the only one carrying a spare tyre!

In addition to our bike problems, the weather god was not on our side and after a few days of riding in the rain after Ulm, we decided to give up. The forecast was not looking good for the rest of the week and it was our summer holiday after all. So we finished our Danube journey in Regensburg and rested our laurels at our good friend JC’s place. Being in a great place with great beer and a great host was a fitting end to our cycling journey.

Bobbing in Basel

The Rhein river runs through the city of Basel. This is the same river which I saw outside of my window in Düsseldorf for nearly 2 years. However, there is something a little strange about this river in this town…it has people bobbing in it!

The Rhein is quite a big river and has a lot of boat traffic upon it. In Duesseldorf, I often saw huge barges and ferries going up and down the river. In Basel however, if you are daring enough, you too can throw yourself in and bob along in the fast flowing current next to the pleasure and transport boats. All you need are some swimming skills and enough guts to get yourself out again.

You may be asking the question, ‘What do I do with all my stuff?’ Well the answer is simple. You carry it with you in the river. All you need is a waterproof bag. If you are cheap, then you can improvise using regular rubbish bags. Thankfully for us, I was already carrying a waterproof sack in my luggage and we bought a ‘Wickelfisch‘ to carry most of our belongings. The waterproof bags are great as they can hold your stuff inside, but they also act as a great floatation device for when you want to just lie back and watch the riverbank go by.

When I arrived in Basel, the weather was already unbelievably warm so it was no problem donning the swimsuit and jumping in the Rhein. Surprisingly, the water was not that cold and provided some much needed soothing coolness to the body. Luckily for us, Matt received a waterproof camera from ISL as a leaving gift this year so we took the camera with us and filmed some of our adventure in the river.  The following clip has been edited very quickly so you’ll have to put up with the amateur quality. Matt says that he’ll do a proper edit when we get to Tokyo.

 

Getting in is relatively easy. Getting out of the river is a little more stressful. Firstly, you have to decide which area you would like to finish your ride. Secondly, you have to execute your plan in front of many onlookers. (Don’t forget that we are right in the middle of town here…) The current in the Rhein is pretty fast. I don’t think the footage really captures how fast we were bobbing but it’s pretty fast. There is no one to help you out…you are on your own. Then, there’s the boats, jetties and buoys on the side of the river you need to navigate around. When you find a nice looking set of stone steps on the bank, you have to direct yourself to it and then use your feet to anchor your body on some of the sharp stones on the river floor. As I did this, I struggled for a while to balance as the current was relentless in wanting to push me further down the river. However, I won the battle against the current and was able to climb out (most ungracefully) of the Rhein. (Btw…Matt did too.)

Bobbing in the Rhein was great fun and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone. We have kept our Wickelfish for the next suitable river we come across and can’t wait for the next time. Maybe if you have a great river for us to bob in around your area, let us know.

Euro 2008

Germany played like poo. That’s all I have to say.

Michelle

Cleaning again…

I thought my place was bad… Matt’s place is worse. It has prompted me to draw up a list of must haves in Tokyo.

1. Dishwasher

2. Decent vacuum cleaner, preferably an automatic one which roams about the place on its own.

3. Less of everything…clothes, crockery, pots, etc….etc…

4. Monstrous plasma TV. This will help the cleaning process by attracting all the dust in the apartment for one-stop cleaning.

5. Central heating. These bar heaters are a bugger to clean!

6. Sink hole in the bathroom floor. Make this area easy to clean. Flood and finish.

7. Sink hole in the kitchen? Do these exist? Same reason as above.

8. Sink hole in the fridge. No comment needed.

9.  Shorter shelving. I just can’t reach without balancing precariously on a wobbly chair. It’s either shorter shelving or glasses for Matt to see what he has missed!

Some of these requirements may be unnecessary if we got a cleaner at least once a week. But really…the apartment will be so small and we are 2 capable adults.

The other solution would be to plastic wrap everything. My dad is a professional at this. Matt was shocked when recently he saw that all of our remote controls at home in Melbourne were shrink-wrapped in plastic. Maybe plastic wrapped furniture is the way to go for 2 grots like us…

The epic “Auf Wiedersehen Duesseldorf” tour.

It all began with my apartment inspection. I am warning all my friends still in Duesseldorf….get a cleaner! Having spent most of the weekend on my hands and knees scrubbing my apartment to get it ready for inspection, my body now aches and I have bruises, cuts and strange skin conditions all over me. Next time I am going to be smarter and just forgo half my bond and give money to someone who will do it. Thanks goes to Chris, Tanja, Isa and Fleur who did their bit to help me get my apartment ready. Did I pass the inspection? Flying colours mate! It was “Sehr schoens” all around. Incredibly surprisingly really considering there is a dodgy burn mark on one of my kitchen walls. Apparently bamboo steamers and electric hot plates don’t go together…

After my award-winning inspection, Tanja and Chris drove me to the hauptbahnhof to catch the train to Lausanne. Thank goodness they were there to help because if you know me well, you know I don’t pack light. Not only did I have my life in one crummy trolley bag with a broken handle (Matt wouldn’t let me buy

the super Samsonite or ravishing Rimowa luggage), I had a mountain bike packed into some tarpaulin, a small but bulging backpack and my handbag. I estimate that the whole lot weighed over 60kg (see photo). This was ok when I had friends, but once I got on the train it was on my own. Amazingly enough, I managed the trip which included a stopover in Basel, in which I had to rebuild my bike and to park it in the train station.

Rebuilding a bike is hard work for someone who has only learned the mechanics of a bike the night before when they had to take it all apart. It makes it even more nerve racking when you have an audience of beer drinkers watching your every move. Here I was in Basel train station, losing bolts and washers as I try desperately to put my bike back together. In the end, I was covered with grease and dirt but I managed to make it look right. So when the bike parking manager helped me wheel it into the parking lot (why was he sitting behind the desk when I had to put the bike together???) and the back wheel didn’t spin, did I laugh or what! Lucky for me, the beer drinkers were all too drunk to notice. That, or they were being polite as they were Swiss.

So as I’m finally rolling into Lausanne, all I was hoping for was to get into Matt’s car and drive home. Ha! Matt “I don’t want to lose my carpark” Plummer decided that it was best to leave the car where it was and walk down to pick me up. His punishment? To manage the crummy 40+kg trolley bag on public transport. Now he has red raw hands too.

Preparations, preparations

So its getting closer now. Michelle has officially finished work and will be leaving Germany this week! She is going to visit me here in Lausanne for a day or 2 then she is off to Lisbon to visit Dave & Annie. Me?

I have another bloody week of work left…126 reports to write….a small mountain of paperwork to prepare for the incoming staff and a set to finish building for a school play…then I’m off to Basel to run a 5 day workshop for MYP Teachers….not that I’m complaining (much) tho. Just counting the days. We have both got inspections on our apartments, bureaucratic hoops to jump through to leave Europe and Japanese hoops to negotiate to get in. Wish us luck with our red tape tangle!

I cant wait for our little cycle tour. “Black Forest to the Black Sea” (not that we will get even close to doing it all, but it sounds better) Taking my bike into the ‘best bike mechanic in Switzerland’ to get it serviced tomorrow morning. Kinda nervous. I’m told he is a complete “tool” and a jerk by my friend that recommended him. He should be a good judge….(Former Australian Olympic cyclist) and is seriously into his cycling. The mechanic is supposed to be completely anal about cycles…just the guy you want to work on your bike before a long tour. Can not speak a word of English…and my bike has been a bit neglected (not out of the cave for 18 months)…should be fun. Then its a relaxing ride down the Danube. Won’t even need to peddle…just roll…its all down hill. Right? I need this holiday…

ps: Amazing win by Turkey tonight…WOW!

Ohayoo!

Welcome to Tokyo Trouble! We hope that you enjoy our stories about the adventures we have in our new home of Japan. Please post comments if you have any requests, suggestions or anecdotes to add.

We don’t arrive in Tokyo on August 1st, 2008 so you will have to be a little patient for the Tokyo stories. However, this summer we will be riding our bikes along the Danube from Donuaeschingen to Vienna so you can keep up to date with those adventures here as well.

Michelle and Matt