Off and running...

I love to tell a story and there's always so much inspiration when you set off on a new adventure. It can also be difficult to find the balance between experiencing and writing about it but there are so many tales to tell...

After a last minute final shift on Sunday (1800 shift finish), we were up bright and early Monday morning for our 1220 flight out of Cairns. 

Me on the final approach to end of my 10 hour (that felt like 2 week) last shift... 

My wonderful Mum drove up from Innisfail on Sunday night so she could take us to the airport that morning so that Pheonix could come and wave is off at the airport. Bags all packed and a brief stop at the supermarket en route for a few more jars of my coffee and we were soon saying our last goodbyes at the passport control gate. It is always hard to say goodbye to either of my kids, but Pheonix is certainly growing up and was rather stoic as he gave a final tight squeeze and watched us disappear into no-man's land. He has some rather fun adventures planned for himself we are gone but it was still not easy to know that it would be 5 weeks before I get to hug my boy again.

It is so great to be able to go on this amazing trip with Sequoia - just us girls! I can't even begin to describe how incredibly excited that morning, making our way through customs and emerging into international departures...so much planning and preparation culminating in this moment.

Before we knew it, we were boarding out Jetstar flight to Tokyo for first stop on our tour. I must say the flight exceeded all expectations. Considering that Jetstar is a budget airline, we brought everything that we could want (blankets, entertainment etc) expecting to pay for any extras, bar using the onboard lavatory. It was a most pleasant surprise to be handed a little flight pack which included eye mask, socks, hand cream, lip balm, toothbrush and paste all folded neatly within a little bag that doubles as a tablet device cover.

Unused portion of our little pack:

We also were served meals and snacks throughout the flight, although alcohol was an optional extra. I'm here quietly impressed!

We finally touched down in Narita and made our way out into the Japanese urban jungle. Sequoia had hers and Kaiya's Suica cards (Japan JR rechargeable transit cards) from their school trip last year so after reloading with more currency, we set off on our hour long train ride into Tokyo, and more specifically, our Nihombashi Hotel. We changed trains twice and then made our way through a light night time drizzle, laden like pack horses...20 minutes in the wrong direction!!!!

Finally, when we're quite thoroughly miserable enough, we relented and get directions from one of the hundreds of 7-11 stores we managed to pass within a couple of blocks and pointed back the way we had miserably traipsing.

Finally we were dripping rain (red hair dye coloured, no less) onto the lobby floor of our once elusive hotel. The host was absolutely lovely and spent quite a bit of time speaking with us about how best to get around and where we could go with our extremely short time we had there, even though at one stage my suitcase slipped dramatically out of my hand and fell backwards onto some unsuspecting 1960s Japanese Traditonal Doll. No lasting damage appeared to be done, but I was suitably mortified and was soon slinking off to the lift to take my drenched, bedraggled self and my tornado-like finesse classily to bed.

Japan has the tiniest little rooms. Just out of shot is a bathroom/WC slightly smaller than an airplane toilet cubicle and the room doorway that I almost needed to go on a diet to enter.

It was very close to midnight by the Te we had deposited our luggage in the room and considering the tiny amount of time in Tokyo that we had, it seemed most perfectly reasonable to set off in search of some local sustenance. We wandered a few blocks and found a late night cafe with a vending machine ordering facility. We both ordered our meals with Sequoia using her schoolgirl Japanese language skills beautifully. However, I did need the chef's assistance when it came to knowing which button to press to order the beer (I can't believe they aren't teaching the how to read the kanji for alcoholic beverages! How on earth are they meant to direct their parents in any desperate late-night travelling moments of need?)

Our order machine:

I was too hungry and too happy to have the beer that I forgot to photograph our food! Go figure. I was also much surprised to see young adults come in in pairs and alone to eat also ... Like it is quite usual to go out for dinner at midnight.

Anyhow, soon fatigue began setting in in earnest and we found ourselves back getting ready for some shut-eye.

Time for a much needed sleep...why hotels seem to insist on all linen being white, I do not know, but as a lady of the bright red faux hair colour variety, this is the bane of my, and no doubt hotel housekeeping's, travel existence.

But alas...it was not to be. About an hour after I'd laid down my weary head, the was an all-holy racket coming from outside our room. Lots of screaming and banging. I stuck my head out the door to see a lady sitting on the floor just up from our room banging on the door for her more intoxicated friend to let her in. I reminded her that we were trying to get some sleep and I understood her friend had drunk too much but she was going to have to find some way to keep it down. I crawled back into bed and just as I was drifting off, it started again, only now at a more frenzied pitch. I got changed out of my sleepwear and made my way downstairs to find the front desk unattended. I went outside for a moment and when I went back in, the lovely manager had just returned from dealing with upstairs and began apologising profusely for the bad behaviour of the other guests. I must admit that I was quite surprised to see and hear quite obviously Japanese women behaving so undecoriously. But goes to show anyone can have a 'moment'.

Not another peep was heard for the rest of the night so kudos to the manager for whatever he said or did.