Samukatta!

January 20th- Imagawa no Renshu. At this time in Australia it was probably a lovely time to go swimming, but in Japan it is one of the weekends closest to the coldest days in Japan. In Japanese, this tradition is called Kangeiko. It is training that is "good for your heart" or possible encouraging a heart attack! Just kidding, it wasn't that bad. We ran from a place to near the dojo (training hall) to the shrine where the priest prayed for us and blessed us for a successful and healthy year in karate (I think), and then we ran to Imagawa, where we did some training. The water is somewhat comparable to the Victorian surf, so is not too much of a shock, although I didn't go swimming in it like the boys. After we ate a huge feast to warm us up. Oishikatta!

Hong Kong

Hong Kong the second time was not clear at all. Again I had 9 hours to explore Hong Kong and didn't want to go shopping. I didn't have any spare room anyway. I went to Hong Kong Park and watched people to Tai-Chi and other forms of slow pace martial arts. It was very calm there. A big difference compared to the rest of the city. There were a few sparrow (like) birds around that kept me amused for a while. Only later when I tried to go to the Aviary, did I found out there had been an outbreak of bird flu less than 7km away. But I wasn't worried for my sake as I wasn't handling them. I then went to the Zoo, but because majority of the exhibits are birds there wasn't much to see apart from a beautiful orchard green house and some interesting seating! Cute hey?! By this time I was really tired as I had only had 2-3 hours of sleep (on the plane) and so then fell down some stairs. It was less dramatic than that.. I just sank to my knees, whilst going down the stairs. Some people behind me just looked... I think the were surprised that even though I clearly looked like someone who spoke English I said "Ite" which is short for "Itai" or Ouch in Japanese! I just headed back to the airport then and had a nap before my flight... oh and I ate Maccas. I will still say that the McDonald's in Japan is the best I have had. Fresh!

Home Sweet Home Part 2

After New Year's I had drinks with some more Uni friends at "The Rege", a place we frequented while at Uni and for some still frequent. It was great to see faces and understand all the conversations that were going on around me!!!

I then flew to Victoria to see Kath, Barn, Dad, and Dad's side of the family. Sorry family there's too many to list. After staying a night in Bendigo we drove through to near Ballarat to meet one of my best friends from school, Lucille. On the way to Birregurra, we stopped into see Rambo, our little (now gelded) boy. He had grown so much and reminded me how much I would like to get back into riding. The pictures are of Lake Corangamite (near Colac) and a paddock close by. Even though it is the middle of summer there is usually some water/feed around. The lack of water can easily be seen. It was a bit of a shock coming from Japan to see this as Japan has a lot of rainfall.
We drove onto Birre and stayed there the night. Kath was breaking in Lara, and re-educating Elle (pictured) to be sold. I was able to have a ride on Lara, but because it was her first day with a person on her she was unsure of what to do. She was a sweety anyway. After that we went down to Apollo Bay and had a BBQ with REAL sausages!!! It was sooo good. Tess though so too! I got Barns to stage some good BBQ pictures for school. I don't think they will ever look close enough to see what kind of drink he is holding! Kath entertained us with a bit of broom guitar, and will probably kill me for putting it on the website. The next day I had my first try at surfing. It is something I would like to try again when I return back to the land of drought and beach!
I only had three days in Victoria before heading back up to Sydney and Nowra.
Mum, Melva, Jetty and I took a trip up Cambewarra Mountain lookout (pictured) and over to Kangaroo Valley. It was very nice there. If only I had a spare 1/2-1 million I would buy some property.
Before leaving Australia I had another bash with my friend in Sydney and had a great time. I had forgotten how different it was to hang out firend you have known for a long time. Thanks guys for a great time and reminding me what great people you are!