Beppu to Matsuyama

Yesterday (It seems like I run a day behind posting entries on this trip) after breakfast we checked out of our Beppu hotel and traveled to the waterfront to board a ferry to Shikoku. It was a 2 1/2 hour ride through the islands of The Inland Sea which reminded me a little of the ferry rides through the San Juan Islands back in Puget Sound.

A sister ferry to the one we were riding

The bow and stern open up on this type ferry so the vehicles are protected even though partially below wateline.

Some of the islands we passed had wind farms along ridgelines to provide electricity from the wind. On one small island I counted 25 windmills and on another 12 plus one under construction.

We had a bento box lunch and arrived at Yahatahama at 1230 for a ride to Uchiko Town for a tour of the historical district.

I could write several entries about the old town of Uchiko with its preserved buildings and crafts.  

In the old days when feudal lords demanded taxes from the local communities, Uchiko was in a difficult position because it was in a mountinous region and so didn't have the capability to grow much rice (the usual tax medium). Some resourceful person(s) developed the art of candlemaking from the wax made from the nuts of the sumac tree and thereafter they paid their taxes in candles.

A couple old grinding stones outside a coffee shop where the beans are ground quickly by electricity

One of the old houses awaiting renovation. Typical old style walls, mud mixed with straw and horsehair and plastered over a bamboo framework.

A sixth generation craftsman making candles from Sumac wax

We don't see many of these old post boxes nowadays.

After spending some time taking in the sights of the old town we went on to Matsuyama City and our Ryokan for tonight at Dogo Onsen, the oldest onsen in Japan.

Entry area with souvenier shops and front desk

There was a beautiful and well tended garden and impressive floral arrangements and artwork inside.

An ancient pine on its island in the rock sea.

We were greeted, served tea and given directions to the baths and dining area by a friendly maid.

Next entry will describe the best dinner so far on this trip and have a word about a really good bath.

Going to Hell(s) in Beppu

Yesterday I went to the ofuro early and was treated to a spectacular view of the waning crescent moon in the eastern sky just before and after sunrise. The moon was a thin crescent with the morning star (Venus) about two moon diameters above the left horn of the moon. It was a peaceful sight and I felt privileged to observe it from the hot mineral waters of the bath. Incidentally, on the way out I asked one of the attndants what temperature they keep the bath. He said they blend the hot water from the springs with cool water to maintain a temperature of 40-41 degrees celsius (104-106 F). It didn't feel that hot to me but I took him at his word.

After breakfast we headed for our first hell, the Umi (sea) hell where the water is a cobalt blue.

Umi (ocean) Hell. The bamboo pole has a basket of eggs suspended
from the rope. After cooking they are available for sale in the store.

Nearby I saw a little waterfall trickling down the hill next to an old moss covered stone lantern. The maple leaves aren't turning color yet but a little later many Japanese will go out to the parks and hills just to observe the fall colors (koyo, autumn leaves).

On this trip I'm trying out my new selfie stick (thanks to Sue & Kesti)

Next stop was the Tatsumaki (Tornado) Hell where a geyser erupts every 30-40 minutes. The sign says the water temperature is 105 degrees Celsius (221 F)

Nearby some of the ladies in our group took advantage of a foot soaking pool guaranteed to rejuvenate tired feet.

We visited the blood pond hell (Chi-no-ike-jigoku) and bubbling cauldrons of mud and finally had seen enough so left the hells to Dante and moved on to the nearby monkey mountain.

But first we stopped for lunch at a combination souvenier shop and dining area. Their specialty was noodle soup but there were other dishes to compliment the soup.

Our driver parked the bus and we walked over a suspension bridge across the main highway, caught a monorail and rode up to the area where the monkeys are fed.

Monkeys grooming. They appear to eat the lice they find

We were warned not to stare at the monkeys eyes since they take that as aggression and also not to chew anything. The only close call we had was when one of the monkeys stole our guide's iPhone. The staff blocked his escape up a rock wall and he quickly dropped the phone. Fortunately it didn't land in a nearby puddle so other than a few scratches it was fine.

Back at the hotel I noticed they had put out a new flower arrangement in the lobby. The aroma of lilies was noticable across the first floor.

Dinner tonight was in the buffet room. Similar to the breakfast buffet, there were western and Japanese selections. I had an appetizer of foie gras followed by sashimi, nigirizushi and more sashimi. There were probably 80 or 90 selections but I was still full from lunch and besides I had to save room for green tea ice cream and strawberry ice cream with lots of fresh berries chopped up in it.

When traveling it's hard to resist eating too much food but I'm trying my best.

Fukuoka to Beppu

This morning after breakfast we loaded up and headed out for Beppu via Yabakei.

Porter in tophat loading bags

Along the way we stopped at a rest stop ("comfort stop" as our guide calls it) where there were over 150 solar panels lining the hillside and over the grassy areas in the center of the clover leaves and other available space. Couldn't get a definitive answer if they were for powering the rest stop or if they fed into the grid for general use.

Solar panels on the hillside with many more in the clover leaf 

On to Yabakei Gorge we toured the cave built by a monk who witnessed the dfficulties pilgrims were having navigating the steep hillside alongside the river. He spent over 30 years with nothing but a hammer and chisel carving out a cave (named Ao-no-domon) about 185 meters long. He even chiseled out two windows to let in light in those days before electricity.

A view of the Yabakei Gorge showing a piece of the tunnel.

A statue of the monk carved in stone
inside the tunnel.

A view of the longest section of the tunnel, now lighted
by electricity. One of the windows is just behind me.

A bronze statue of the monk at work.

Further up the Gorge we saw some fantastic rocks left by the river the carved out the gorge and I fed one hundred yen worth of fish pellets to the semi-wild rainbow trout living in the river.

On to Beppu we followed a winding road over a pass. The road is well marked and has convex mirrors mounted on many of the corners so drivers can "see around the corner" so to speak. They work quite well and often drivers of large vehicles like trucks and our bus take turns going around the corners.

Beppu is a city on the northeastern coast of Kyushu similar to our own Yellowstone Park where the Earth's heated core comes close to the surface. There are many hot springs, at least one geyser, and lots of hotels and ryokans specializing in serving the population of health seekers and vacationers enjoying the mineral waters.

After checking in to the Suginoi Hotel the first order of business was to visit the ofuro (public bath) where the famous Beppu mineral water soothed away aches and pains and softened tough skin to a baby's softness.

No cameras allowed in the bath for obvious reasons (no clothes allowed in the baths) but I wish I could post a photograph of this one. There were five tiers of hot water, each approximately 30 to 40 feet long depending on the level and two to three feet deep, again depending on the level. Also there was a sauna, three soaking tubs, a steamy grotto and an inside level. All except the grotto and the inside pool were outside with a view of Beppu Bay and fed by the natural heated mineral water coming from the rocks in various places in the hills surrounding the city.

After the bath and some time for relaxation we gathered for dinner in a private dining room where we were served kaiseki, a Japanese multi-course dinner. Actually, there are names for each of the dishes and a certain protocol about how they are prepared and what should go in each course. I don't keep track of all that but I do appreciate the care with which each course is prepared and served and the special dishes used for the various courses.

Kaiseki at the Suginoi Hotel in Beppu

Last night the sashimi (raw fish) course was served in three different dishes which is a departure from the normal. Note the Tai (sea bream) in the oblong dish just behind the water glass and the (so far empty) beer glass has a different sized, but matching shape and pattern, shoyu dish. The aji (horse mackeral) just behind that is served with different additions to the shoyu so there is a dfferent but matching dish for that. In this case the serving dish for the sashimi is square and the shoyu dish is round but the patterns match. The sashimi behind that is pickled mackeral and it needs no shoyu so there is no matching dish for that but it comes in a nice stylistic fish-shaped dish.

The small round dish next to the noodles is the dish for the condiments that are added to the aji's soy sauce. These are chopped chives, grated ginger and wasabi. Next to the left is the noodle dish with semi-hard poached egg. In front of that is a small glass of umeshu (plum wine) for toasting. To the left of that is a small piece of egg loaf topped with a little seaweed. Above that is the dipping sauce for the sliced beef and vegetable dish cooking in the green lidded pan over the fire just above the sauce.

The metal pot with the wooden lid over an unlit fire is a rice dish that hasn't been started yet. Below that is a dish of pickles partially covered with a rice serving bowl. In front of that is an overturned tea cup with a small wooden saucer waiting for tea to be served toward the end of the meal.

As the meal progresses other dishes arrive. The round covered
dish containes a piece of eggplant simmered in a soy sauce
base and topped with a boiled shrimp, mushroom and piece of
yellow summer squash and served with a poached okra.
The rectangular dish holds a piece of steamed salmon topped
with a mustard sauce, mushrooms, pepper and a leaf shaped
piece of tofu sponge colored to match a fall leaf. On the right
are two slices of pickled lotus root and on the left two maple leaves
 as an inedible garnish.

Here is a chawan-mushi (steamed egg
custard containing veggies and a ginko
nut and small piece of either fish or
chicken) served on a small wooden
dish and wooden spoon.
 

I forgot to take of photo of the dessert but it also was served on a unique dish and was composed of a small piece of cake and a small piece each of pineapple, cantalope and honeydew melon. After that we wandered off to bed to catch up on sleep and get more accustomed to our new time zone.

Seattle to Fukuoka

Travel across the International Date Line (IDL) is confusing. I'm typing this post on Thursday morning while I have WiFi at the hotel. We left Seattle Monday morning, traveled acrosss the IDL to Tokyo (Narita) arriving Wednesday afternoon about 1500 after a ten-hour flight, cleared customs and immigration then caught the connecting flight to Fukuoka, arriving a little before eight pm.

We flew on a 777-300 from SeaTac. On this long flight ANA had a more comfortable cabin setup than most airlines I've flown. The seat configuration in coach is 2-4-3 port to starboard with a small break between the middle seats in the four seat middle section. This allows a little wider seat and the space from the front of one seat to the back of the next (pitch) is about six inches more than usual. The extra knee room is nice but it's even more important because of a new (to me) seat reclining method. The back of the seat is fixed in place but the seat slides forward with the lower portion of the back cushion following to give the comfortable substitute for a reclining back. I liked this design since I didn't have to worry about the person in the seat in front of me reclining back into my lunch. This design also allows beverage holders to be mounted on the back of the seat and the bottom of the tray table helping to prevent the too often spilled drink.

After we cleared customs and Immigration we caught our flight to Fukuoka. This was a 737 with the usual seat spacing designed for usually smaller Asians so the seats were narrower and my knees were almost touching the seat in front. Fortunately it was only a two hour flight so we survived. In fact I even caught a few winks.

A short bus ride after we claimed our baggage and we were at our hotel in Fukuoka, the Nikko Hotel Fukuoka.  Checked in, had a western style dinner and was asleep not long after my head hit the pillow.

On the last couple trips across several time zones I've started using melatononin to help ease the jet lag. It seems to work for me. Last night I woke a few times but dropped right back into a restful sleep despite the 17-hour time difference from Seattle.

This morning we had the usual Japanese hotel style breakfast buffet. Typically they feature a wide selection of Japanese and western style items so this morning I started with the usual stout coffee then had rice, miso soup, vegetable soup, mackeral, dried seaweed, pickles and green tea then finished up with a selection of fresh fruits and some bread pudding with strawberry sauce. Should last me til lunch.

The Nikko Hotel is a first class hotel with the usual selection of accessories in the bath including bar soaps, body shampoo, hair shampoo, toothbrush and paste, safety razors and shaving gel, Q-tips, disposable hair brush and comb, shower cap, makeup remover, cleansing foam, bath salts and "ladies set." It also has a heated rectangle in the mirror right in front of the sink so even though the wall-to-wall mirror steams up there is a clear spot right where you need it.

Another difference from American hotels is the sense of safety. We were instructed to put our bags in the hall outside our room by eight so we put ours out a little after seven when we went to breakfast. There were already other bags from our group out there and no one seems to worry about some bad guy stealing one.

We are headed for Beppu today. I've had a problem trying to transfer photos from my phone and camera to the tablet so I could add them to each post. I'll work on that some more today although it seems I need to be connected to WiFi to get the transfer protocol to work via blue tooth. High technology is tough to keep up with, especially by an old timer like me. I must say it is a wonder to be able to post these comments to my blog from halfway around the world.

Old Cars

Out walking with my little dog tonight I saw a pair of yellow (as opposed to the modern bright white) headlights on a car coming up the road. It got me to thinking of things long past.

Most cars had 6-volt electrical systems until the mid fifties when the industry changed over to the 12-volt system. Headlights were sort of a dim yellow and certainly didn't reach far into the night. Batteries were smaller since they only had four cells and they didn't last as long when you needed them. Also, for those of you who weren't around in those days, the cranking speed of a 6-volt system was about half the speed of the 12-volt replacement. For a few years during the transition it was important to remember to check the voltage of the electrical system if you were going to get or give a jump start. If one system were 6-volt and the other 12-volt something was about to get burned out, or up.

Reminiscing about headlights reminded me that headlight dimmer switches used to be on the floor over toward the left side of the driver's foot space just left of the clutch pedal. When driving on rural roads it was customary to leave ones headlights on high beam until an approaching car flashed their lights reminding the errant driver to dim his lights.

The starter button was also on the floor in those days and there was no override to prevent a car from being started in gear. In fact, sometimes it was useful to start a car in gear if your clutch was bad or your throw out bearing was going out. You could start the car in first gear and by skillfully using the gas pedal shift through the gears by taking advantage of the slack in the drive chain as you decreased the pressure on the gas.

The windshield wiper control was on the dashboard along with the headlight switch so in those days there was only the steering wheel and the horn button on the steering column. Big changes were about to come though until today most cars have steering column and steering wheel mounted accessory switches and controls for everything from lights and wipers to radio and cell phone.

Also on the dash was the choke. Before the days of automatic choke controls the choke control was mounted on the dash. Before you started the engine you pulled out the choke and after starting gradually returned it to normal as the engine warmed up.

Another peculiarity of the old cars was the vacuum windshield wiper system. The wipers were powered by the vacuum created at the manifold and most times it worked alright. When going uphill or when accelerating the wipers would lose power because of the drop in vacuum and slow or even come to a stop when vacuum was diverted to the necessary task of running the engine.

Squirrel knobs or necker knobs were popular during the forties and fifties. These free-wheeling knobs were attached to the steering wheel and allowed the driver to turn the wheel quickly using just the knob. I'm not sure why they were called squirrel knobs, maybe because a person easily could cut doughnuts or otherwise act squirrely. As far as the "necker knob" moniker, it's pretty self-explanatory. One hand on the wheel with its necker knob to steer the car, the other hand free to do other things.

Fender skirts, continental kits and curb feelers were other things peculiar to the late forties and fifties. If you don't know what they are you are free to do an on-line search for enlightenment.

I don't know about the custom in the big cities but where I grew up the car key was always in the ignition just as our house was never locked when we were out. It was a different time when people weren't concerned about strangers stealing cars or entering unlocked houses.

The move to automatic transmissions took time but it was a big thing in the forties and fifties to have a slushbbox. Dynaflow, Hydra-matic, Fluid-drive and Power-drive were all proprietary names of automatic transmissions from the forties and fifties. The automatic transmission made driving easier and allowed those who couldn't figure out how to drive a stick shift model to still get on down the highway.

Strangely enough, automatic transmissions have never caught on in Europe and the far East. Maybe because stick shifts are usually more economical, they are the usual model over there. If you want to rent a car in Europe or other countries outside the US be prepared to pay a lot more for an automatic transmission model.

Now I understand American cars with stick shifts lately are in higher demand. It seems the pendulum may be swinging back to the more complete driving experience of stick shift cars. Also on the plus side, no time to use your cell phone if you are busy shifting gears.

Those yellow headlights brought back lots of memories. I have mixed feelings about the quality of the modern driving experience compared to that of the forties and fifties. I know modern cars are a lot safer with seat belts and air bags being the norm. Accident rates per mile are way down but somehow those days of driving before automatic transmissions, air conditioning and surround sound let a person know that they were in control of a capricious beast that may or may not cooperate to get to the desired destination.

Wasted (Cloudy) Days and Wasted Nights

Welcome to another post about our moon.

I had hoped to be able to take some photos of the new moon but the past five evenings have had clouds obscuring the moon even as it grew from the first sliver to almost the first quarter, so herewith another post without photos to break up the verbiage.

 As I've waited for the moon to show her face to past few evenings I thought it might be worth discussing the apparent magic that moves the waning crescent from where it appears just before sunrise in the eastern sky to the first of the waxing crescent which appears just after sunset in the western sky.

Of course it's not magic at all but just the slow orbit of the moon around the earth and the light of the sun that produce the various phases of the moon and where we observe that phase in our sky each night, or day.

As mentioned in the last post, the new moon is not visible to us here on earth because the moon is between us and the sun. As the waning moon becomes smaller it is moving closer and closer to the sun's position so that on the last morning just before sunrise we (if we are lucky) can see the last sliver of the sun's light reflected off our moon.

The next morning the moon rises at about the same time as the sun so we can't see it since the sun is shining on what we consider the back side of the moon and the side facing us is dark. The moon marches with the sun across the daytime sky and disappears, still unseen, below the western horizon.

The next morning the moon rises a little after the sun but we can't see it because of the strong sunlight that covers the much weaker light from the first sliver of the waxing crescent. It is only that evening when the sun moves below the horizon and the sky turns darker that we have a chance of seeing the moon.

Each day the moon's orbit carries it further away from the sun until we sometimes can see the moon in the afternoon sky as it reaches the waxing gibbous stage of growth.

Finally the moon is almost directly opposite the sun in relation to the earth and we are treated to a full moon. From that point we see the waning moon later and later in the evening and early morning. Again we can see the waning gibbous moon in the morning sky under the right conditions but as it moves closer to the sun we don't see the moon during the day but can only see it between the time it rises and when the sun comes up with its much stronger light and covers the weaker moonlight.

Let's hope the Seattle sky is clear a week from tomorrow (10/27) so we'll be able to observe the total lunar eclipse. Of course, it will happen whether or not we can see it. We just need those pesky clouds to move on to other places where they need rain and cool weather.

Our Moon

In the days before television, electric lights, instantaneous communication and immediate gratification there was our Moon. Its cycle was constant, its phases predictable and its influence on the human race was immense.

A quick check of my Webster's Unabridged shows moon influence from blue moon (once in a) to moonshine(r) and many words and usages in between.

When I was young old farmers planted crops timed to the phase of the Moon. Fishermen counted on the "dark of the moon" to produce a better bite and workers at mental hospitals around the world averred that lunatics bloomed in the light of the full moon.

I sometimes wonder how modern children can get by with no knowledge of the moon and its phases. This knowledge isn't taught today but,then, it wasn't taught in the days of my youth either. Back then it was absorbed from the universal knowledge of our elders. People in those old days needed to know the ways of the moon to properly direct their own lives so children picked up the knowledge by simple association.

Our moon was used as a device to keep track of the calendar; it was used as a way to forecast the weather and the full moon was synonymous with romance and lunacy. Dare I say that those two conditions are sometimes difficult to differentiate.

There are special terms for different phases of the moon. Our next lunar cycle begins tomorrow, Sunday, 9/13/15, with a new moon and transitions through the waxing crescent (first seen in the west just as the sun goes below the horizon), the first quarter, the waxing gibbous, the full moon, the waning gibbous, the last quarter (third quarter), the waning crescent (visible in the eastern sky just before the sun rises) and back to the new moon for the subsequent cycle.

Along the way during our next lunar cycle we'll have a total lunar eclipse on September 27th starting just before moonrise for us (6:55 PM) and ending at 9:27 PM. If our sky is clear it will be a spectacular sight here in the Seattle area. What we might call prime time lunar viewing.

In Asia, even today, the moon is viewed with respect. In times past the Japanese built special viewing platforms or gathered on boats to watch the full moon (especially the autumn moon) while reciting poetry and eating "moon cakes" (tsukimi dango), a kind of rice cake. My wife, Ikuko, fondly remembers those evenings of watching the full moon rising over Hakata while eating tsukimi dango.

We are nearing the end of the current moon cycle with only a day left before the new moon. This morning I went up on my roof (the flat part) to see if I could catch a glimpse of the last of the waning crescent. Moonrise was at 6:09 this morning so I would have only fifteen or twenty minutes to catch that glimpse before the sky became too light to see the tiny sliver of lighted moon on its last day before changing over to the new moon.

Hoping to get some photographs I took my camera, as well as my phone, up on the roof but I'm sorry to say there was no sighting this morning. The eastern horizon and lower atmosphere was obscured by the smoke from the many wildfires still burning in our state making it impossible to see through that red haze before the sky became too light to see the moon. Our "morning star" the planet Venus was the brightest light in the sky as it was well above the smoke and haze.

The new moon is invisible to the naked eye because it comes between us and the sun. Even with specialized equipment if you see the moon in this phase it is dark because the sun is shining on the side away from the earth. We often refer to that side as the dark side of the moon but when the moon is dark on the side facing us (new moon) it is a full moon on the back side of the moon which is facing the sun. It would be an amazing sight to an observer in a spacecraft between our moon and the sun since the view would be a full moon in front of a full (fully lighted) earth.

So, how does the moon work so that we see the various phases month after month? Why is it that sometimes the moon is lower in the southern sky and sometimes it's high overhead? Why is the moon's perceived size sometimes larger or smaller than normal? And perhaps most important, is the moon really made of green (unripened, not the color) cheese as so many people have believed over thousands of years?

Before we can think about the rest of those questions we need to figure out how the moon orbits the earth.

There are several things about the moon's orbit around the earth that are necessary to know before we can explain its appearance. The most important of these is the time of the orbit which is approximately 28.5 days. It's also important to know that that orbit isn't a true circle but is a little egg shaped with an eccentricity of about 5.5 per cent.  We need to know the plane of that orbit is offset from center by a little over five degrees. The moon's rotation (locked in by tidal influences) is the same as the time of its orbit so we always see the same side. Actually we see a little more than half because when the moon is high in the sky we see a little more of its southern portion and when it's low in the sky we see a little more of its northern portion. Finally, we need to remember that our earth is tilted on its axis about 23.5 degrees. (Interestingly, this tilt changes from about 22 to 24.5 degrees and back over a 41,000 year cycle.)

Now that we have these facts at our fingertips we can see how the appearance of the moon is shaped by the various factors.

First let's figure out how we see the various phases.

During a new moon the moon is in front of the sun (usually not directly or we would see a solar eclipse) so we don't see any portion of the moon lighted by reflected sunlight. The following night we can see (if we have a clear sky and look closely) the first tiny sliver of the waxing crescent in the western sky just after the sun disappears below the horizon. On the second day after the new moon we see a larger slice of the waxing crescent a little higher in the sky and for the next five nights it grows larger and higher in the sky until on the seventh night we see the first quarter.

Note that the waxing moon grows from the right side since that is the side lighted by the sun and after reaching full the moon wanes with the lighted side on the left, again because that is the side lighted by the sun.

Now we must qualify this sequence because we are looking from the northern hemisphere. If we were in South America or New Zealand everything would be reversed and the waxing crescent (and the rest of the phases) would grow from the left side until full and then wane toward the right side. I know it sounds confusing but it's the same moon it's just that we are looking at it toward the south in the northern hemisphere and we look toward the north while in the southern hemisphere. Is that clear? I knew you'd understand.

Now, this entry is long enough and it doesn't have any photos or even drawings so I'm going to post this and continue in a few days, Maybe I'll be able to catch the early waxing crescent, or at least, the first quarter, and post some photos next time.

Meanwhile, if you have a view of the sky watch for the waxing crescent beginning Monday night. Here in Seattle we always have a battle with the clouds beginning about this time of year so you might have to watch for the moon playing hide and seek through the clouds but it will be there as dependable as can be. It's our duty to find it and it will be right where it's supposed to be if the clouds allow us to see it.

Old Soldiers

On June 22, this year, Russ Seelig, a member of my VFW Post, led a group of four on a trip through northern Vietnam and Laos. The highlights of that trip along with as many photographs as I could upload using my phone were posted to this blog in June and July.

Our group consisted of Russ, Justin (another member of our VFW Post), my son Glenn, and myself. Russ and I were the only ones who had served in Vietnam during the war. Russ has been back to Vietnam several times since the war but this was my first time to return.

The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you can read about, if you haven't already, by clicking on the archives for June and July.

In the two months that have gone by since we returned I've often thought about the welcome we received from the regular people of Vietnam and Lao. Those folks, who lived through or heard from older folks who had lived through the bombs and warfare, were unfailingly welcoming to the four visitors from another world whose leaders had been instrumental in causing those bombings and warfare.

Before we arrived I didn't know quite what to expect even though Russ had told us that we would be treated cordially. I was especially concerned about those Vietnamese of my generation who might harbor ill feelings since I'm not so sure that if the situation were reversed Americans who lived through such a war on their own territory would forgive and forget so quickly.

I also didn't know what to expect of myself when I returned to a country where the enemy was hidden among the people and the terrain and we never knew for sure where and when a sudden attack might come from what appeared to be ordinary people. That war may not have been the origin of guerrilla warfare but the concept was well used during that time.

As it turned out I was at ease from our arrival. Wing and our guide/drivers were professional and competent while being friendly and solicitous about our comfort and welfare. As I've said, the people were friendly with smiles everywhere.

When, after two weeks on the road, we arrived in Dien Bien Phu it was during a week of special remembrance for the battles in that area culminating with the defeat of the French in 1954. As we visited the various memorials and battle sites we saw many veterans dressed in uniforms from the old days accompanied by family and friends. Once I learned about the occasion I expected it to be rather serious but the people were in a festive mood and enjoying their visits to the old war memorials. Many of the younger people were posing with the old uniformed veterans as they celebrated victories of bygone days.

As we wandered around the memorial to the victory over the French forces in 1954 (pictured below) some old soldiers wearing dress uniforms from their days in the Vietnamese Army wanted to pose with us. It was a poignant moment when old soldiers who were adversaries many years ago shook hands and posed in the present isolated from decisions made by politicians those many years ago.

One of the many benefits of travel is exposure to new people, new customs and old, universal feelings. This meeting reinforced my long-held belief that old soldiers and ordinary people are not so different anywhere in the world.

Old soldiers meet at Dien Bien Phu on July 3, 2015

Crabbing at Birch Bay

Two weeks ago we were staying in our WorldMark condo in Birch Bay for a week looking for some relaxation and some crabs. WorldMark is a points based condo system so we can stay at any of over one hundred resorts, depending on availability. In the case of this stay at Birch Bay availability was non-existent but my sister, Sue, made some reservations several months ago when there was availability so we are staying in one of those condos. Payback will come later.

It's amazing how the weather has changed since we were there. That week was warm, or even hot, with mild breezes. Now we have cool September weather after the stormy week that took out power to many people and brought rain and wind to our area. But it was was worth the trouble for the relief it brought the firefighters in our parched state.

 The crab season opened in Birch Bay (area 7) for the first time the week before we got there so this was the second week in this area. No matter the area, pots can be put in Thursday at sunrise and must be taken out Monday before sunset of any week the season is open.

Here comes our little boat put-putting in from the crabbing grounds which are about halfway between this beach and the point in the background. Even though it is a good distance from the shore the water is only about thirty feet deep. I didn't count but there were probably well over one hundred buoys marking pots in this area

In years past we have had no problem catching our limit but this year it was a little more difficult. There were fewer really big crab and lots of females and under sized males. Below is how the pot looks when we bring it into the boat. In this case there were two keepers with the rest undersized or females.

Here's a nice one. More than seven inches across the back. Lots of good meat here.

I noticed that there were very few soft shell crab this year. It is legal to keep only those crab "in hard shell condition" as the book says. Anyway it doesn't make sense to keep those with soft shells since there isn't much meat as the crab steals material from its own body to build the new shell for protection from predators. Once that new shell is built the crab can rebuild its body inside the protection of the new shell.

Here's our cooking kettle. We use sea water for cooking and protect our propane burner from the wind with a baffle made from old fluorescent light fixture reflectors.

We like to take off the back and shake out the guts of the crab before cooking since it comes out cleaner and it doesn't take up as much room in the cooking kettle.

Now comes the time consuming task of cleaning the meat out of the shells. After we clean the crab we pack it in vacuum bags and freeze it for all kinds of goodies during the coming year until next crab season.

Day 19 (cont)

One last lost post from my SD card.  Sorry for the out of sequence posts but I thought I would post them so those of you who followed our trip could have the benefit.

We had time before dinner so we walked around a little then decided to climb up to the temple nearby. Three hundred twenty-three steep steps later we were at the top with a panoramic view of the nearby city and Mekong River.






The temple for the Buddha of Luang Prabang.

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Day 17 (cont)

Another lost post.

More caves and surrounding area. The mountains here make the Ha Long area pale in comparison.


Kitchen area.

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Day 17

Here's another lost post from my SD card.

This morning we had to make the 0900 tour start so we for up a little earlier than usual.

We ate breakfast in a local Indian restaurant we saw last night. I had fred bread and curry.


The place was operated by a young Indian couple. He has been here seven years, she three months.


Back to the hotel I saw the last of the cleanup crew. First thing in the morning all the homeowners and business people sweep their sidewalks and street gutters.


We went to the caves, paid our rather expensive (US7.50) entry fee, and started an impressive tour.

From 1964 to 1973 the Pathet Lao occupied these caves as protection against bombing by the US and South Vietnamese. Here are a couple of tourists touring the caves.


More caves. They built rooms inside and installed roofs to protect from the dripping water.

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Ha Long to Lang Son (cont]

Another post that got lost in the ether. This one follows the other one I posted out of sequence a few minutes ago.

Ok, back to blogging after a technological interruption.

Glenn and I had just gone out for breakfast rolls and coffee. French/Vietnamese rolls and coffee done we set off in gusty winds and intermittent rain.

We were riding around the north side of Ha Long Bay so saw the famous round topped sheer sided pillars, usually seen from boats on the bay side, from the other side. Our view could have been even better because we were closer.

During a break in the weather we stopped at a small market to buy some lychee. Next door was a lady butchering a fresh carcass with some nervous ducks waiting their turn.




Back on our trusty steeds we rode east eating lychee fruits. You've never experienced the true essence of lychee until you pop one in your mouth while riding a motorbike through tropical storm number one (for this year). We didn't have to dodge any flying branches but there were plenty along the road and the rain was sometimes a deluge.

Stopped for lunch at the best looking roadside restaurant where we had excellent chicken pho.

The further from the city the smaller the road and the fewer the vehicles. Soon we saw very few cars, lots of motorbikes with the occasional bus and huge truck.

Today we stopped to see some water buffaloes maintaining the right of way.




Later we crossed a suspension bridge a la Capilano and visited a brick factory.




Into Lang Son around four, we checked into our hotel for a welcome shower and rest before dinner.

Dinner tonight consisted of roast duck, roast pork, roasted eggplant in a tomato sauce and roasted tofu slices in a pepper and tomato sauce. We also had sautéed veggies and the obligatory beer. Total price, about $7.50 US each.

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Ha Noi to Ha Long

This post from our recent trip to Vietnam got lost. I resurrected it from my phone's SD card and am posting it out of sequence and a little late

As you may have noted from my last post our mode of transportation has two wheels instead of four legs. We have 2 Hondas, 1 Suzuki and 1 Jingping 125 cc motorcycles and our drivers range from 35 to 62 years old.

We didn't go in to Ha Noi so traffic was real bad but it wasn't good either. As in many cases here in vietnam size matters on the highway. We were riding motorcycles so we outranked bicycles and pedestrians but cars, buses, big trucks do just about anything they want, including driving on the wrong side of the road.

Seeing the countryside from the back of a motorcycle is a awesome way to travel. It's nor as intimate as bicycling or walking but it's pretty close. When you're on the back of a motorcycle you smell the smells you breathe the dust and you feel the heat and the rain.

We stopped along the way now and then to watch women transplanting rice, take photos of local sights and for walking breaks. Those walk breaks were necessary to shake off the effects of those buzzing 125 cc motors and to prevent our posterior from going completely dead.







We had hot dusty weather until the last twenty minutes so we had to stop and suit up for the rain. Overall a nice ride.

Got into Ha Long around six, checked into our hotel and carried our bags up 67 rather steep steps to our room. Thank God I packed light.

After a quick shower Wing showed us to a seafood hotpot restaurant where we had a
hotpot with clams, shrimps, clams, squid and fish plus veggies and 14 cans of beer for the four of us for about nine dollars apiece. A pretty good meal for a reasonable price.

Back up those 67 steps for a well deserved rest after a long, long day.

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