The best laid plans of mice… -Slartibartfast When I left Canada nearly six weeks ago it was with the promise that I would be blogging nearly every day. I said that I was going to be traveling around the country on the week-ends, I would be taking a ton of pictures, and I would be … Continue reading Japan: Take 2
I really did have images of going out and having fun every night. I really planned to travel outside of Tokyo and see the country every weekend. That is not what happened. Don't get me wrong... I have gone out for dinners, if mostly close to home. I have also been spending a lot of … Continue reading A (Mostly) Boring Trip
I got off the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) at Kyoto Station, which was a hustling and bustling place, just like Tokyo Marunouchi Station where I had embarked. In fact while the layout was different and so were the shops, there wasn’t all that much to differentiate this building from all of the other major ports I … Continue reading Kyoto is to Tokyo…
The last time I was in Japan I did not leave Tokyo. This time I vowed would be different. Before I left Canada I bought several Japan Rail passes, and I was ready to explore. After consulting with my peeps over here, and with Simon's help tracking down a room (it seems autumn is a … Continue reading Kyoto: The Ancient Capital
No matter how you fly, getting from Toronto to Tokyo is a long flight. Sitting in the window seat of Row 62 probably makes it that much longer… especially when you are my height and size. Since Friday was going to be a regular working day for me, my real first relaxing evening would be … Continue reading Sushi & Cigars: Welcome to Japan Mitch!
When I leave town for two or three days my preparation depends on two factors: How am I going (by car versus by air or train), and what will I be doing (business versus pleasure). My usual MO is to pack two bags: Clothes and sundries in one, electronics (photography and computers) in another. Depending … Continue reading Going Away…
Thanks, I needed that. As I write this I am sitting on a plane outbound from Las Vegas. Aside from spending five marvelous days with great friends, I really needed the vacation. This was, far and away, my most enjoyable trip to that city; part of that is because it is my first visit that … Continue reading Goodbye Vegas: A Friday Post 🙂
So you are one of the world’s most hyper-connected individuals, known for having the Internet at your disposal 24/7. You are scheduled to work with a customer overseas on their connected system via live link, and you have dozens of other things that you usually do / plan to do / want to do during … Continue reading Mitch… Disconnected
‘Hey Mitch, I have my private pilot’s license… if you’d like to take an aerial tour of Sydney Harbour when you are in town just let me know.’ There are some opportunities that one just doesn’t say no to. Of course, seeing as I had spoken with Yoni many times but never actually met him, … Continue reading Flying High Over Sydney
A dozen years ago my parents went to Australia, and asked if I wanted them to bring me back anything. I asked for a koala. Nothing doing. Okay, then how about a hat? They asked me to measure my head, and sure enough a few weeks later I was introduced to the Akubra brand, and … Continue reading The New Hat: Not copying anyone…
When coming to Sydney I knew I was going to face a new challenge. It isn’t that I had never visited a country that drives on the left side of the road, but I had always taken public transport in those places. In Hong Kong, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Grand … Continue reading Driving on the wrong side of the road…
When I found out I was coming to Sydney, Australia I made a mental list of things I wanted to do and to see. So far I have checked off seeing the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach and Manly Beach. While walking around Circular Quay I heard an Aboriginal busker playing … Continue reading Tie me Kangaroo Down, Sport!
One of my very good friends, Erdal Ozkaya, picked me up Sunday morning for an incredible day in and around Sydney. He and his family took me to two very famous beaches – Manly Beach (where Erdal’s son and I practiced our Taekwondo) and Bondi Beach. They took me to a place called Woolloomooroo (which … Continue reading Gone for Walkabout…
As I walked down the gangplank toward my ‘home in the air’ for the next eleven hours I heard even before I could see her the head Flight Attendant on Air Canada flight 003 from Vancouver to Tokyo. She was on the PA system almost cheerleading her staff, and as I appeared she put on … Continue reading AC03: Flying with Phaedra!
If I have been delinquent in my blogging over the past few weeks I apologize – I have been preoccupied with work. Overloaded may be a more accurate term, but that is no reason to neglect you, and I apologize for it. In my defense, I have a great article that was ‘in the can’ … Continue reading SQ11: The Flight of a lifetime!
