mindspill

Back from Japan

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:15:58 GMT

Yes the inevitable had to happen. I'm back from Japan. It was a wonderful holiday, everything went according to plan, and we got to see as much of Japan as possible in two weeks. We started out with a couple of days in Tokyo, then went on to climb up Mt. Fuji. Luckily the weather was cooperative on the mountain, after the torrential rain we previously had in Tokyo.

After Fuji we went to the cultural capital, Kyoto, with a side trip to Nara. From there to Hiroshima and the island of Miyajima. Finally in the end we visited Beppu in the South Island (Kyushu) and Yudanaka near Nagano to see the snow monkeys.

Hopefully I'll have some time to write a bit for meaningful comments about Japan, instead of a list of place. At the moment though I'm having a sever attack of post holiday blues.

Japan from A to Z

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:45:51 GMT

Just before leaving to Japan, here's a presentation I made for the Misses about Japan. It's a fun sort of presentation, with facts and curiosities about this weird and wonderful country.

Japan from A to Z

For credits for the pictures in the presentations click on the pictures

Virtual Street Tour of Tokyo with Google Street View

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:21:05 GMT

Google have added a feature to Google maps that lets you take virtual walks in a city. You can literally follow street paths on a map and have a 360' view of all your surroundings. This feature is called Street View. Click on the images for a quick preview.

From some superficial searches on the subject, the images were taken with video camera mounted on a car, going around the streets. Not all countries have this feature enabled but on August 4th it was introduced for Japan.

This is really amazing stuff! It gives a whole new dimension to travel planning. Images and news about Google Street View found via Japan Probe.

Some sites with interesting street view collections:-
Top 15 Google Street View sightings (Mashable.com)
Google Street View gallery

Pictures of Loch Dan

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:06:41 GMT

I've added the pictures of the trip to Loch Dan.

Do you really want to swim in Japanese waters?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:45:12 GMT

I was searching for some wildlife hotspots in Japan and came across these images of Nomura's jellyfish (via Pinktentacle). The photos were taken just 5m underwater.

These jelly fish seem to invade the Sea of Japan each Autumn. According to wikipedia, and some divers who saw the jellyfish, these monsters can grow larger than a man, and they're known to have killed people with their stings. Not something I'd like to experience firsthand.

Weekend break – Brittas Bay

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:51:39 GMT

After spending the last couple of weeks investigating fictious cults, the time has come to enjoy the ~~sun~~, emmmm sorry clouds. On Saturday we went to Brittas bay to celebrate J's birthday. We walked along the beach for about 2 hours, just in time to avoid the heavy downpour.

On the way back home, we passed through Wicklow village to visit Wicklow Goal (historic prison), but we missed the last tour by 10 minutes. We strolled around the village for a while and discovered the pearl of Wicklow village - Carlos the Clipper! The Miss was also here for the weekend, which might explain my less than cheerful mood. Withdrawal symptoms!

With a bit more than a month to go for the Japan holiday, there’s a lot of planning to be made. Expect to see at least a couple of posts on the subject very soon.

Africa is big

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:01:57 GMT

From Strange Maps - Africa

An idea for Ryanair

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:30:09 GMT

Via

Back from Slovakia

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:43:46 GMT

Just came back from an important/eventful weekend in Slovakia. The miss had her 30th birthday, and I prepared a small surprise for her. All went very well and according to plan, so at least the 3 months of planning for the event weren't for nothing.

As usual, the pictures are in the pipeline :)

Another airline goes bust

Fri, 09 May 2008 20:43:14 GMT

With fuel prices soaring, these last two months have been devastating for airlines. Today another airline, Euromanx, the airline of the Isle of Man declared bankruptcy. In April ATA, Aloha, Skybus, and EOS have been among the other victims of this crises. Smaller carriers are facing bigger financial challenges as the costs of operation keep increasing, while the revenue from passengers doesn't match this cost increase.

Money Blue Book Blog has some advice on how to protect yourself against companies who are at risk of going bankrupt. In essence the advice is to use your credit card for any payments where there’s a risk of the company going bankrupt, be it an airline, a tour operator, or any other similar business.