August 2024

When August pulled up people started throwing projects my way. Wow. I am willing to try and manage as much as I can. All the while I need to devote my energy and voice to this month's event, the Family History Month. The projects range from food event ideas, crafting event ideas, reviewing policy documents, discuss accessible workspace ideas with no budget available. Oddly enough not many hands want to pitch in. Off the topic, I enjoy having my matcha latte throughout the week though. It is very nice to have a hot cuppa during these really cold days, totally warms the guts. When I'm outside of work that's when I get inspiration.

I’m learning when there are native birds there are no feral cats around. When there are cats there are no native birds around. It seems you cannot have the best of both worlds. 

August was Family History month at work. We had some interesting enquiries. A few patron wanted to find their ancestors in the 1500s. We do not hold any in Australia. They best try England I suggested to them. I explained that Australia was discovered in 1788 and that civil registration only came into existence around 1850s during gold rush period. I went on a quest to research into the books we hold and where medieval records and parish records could be located. Only nobles, dukes, viscount, marquee, and royalty were mentioned in published books from 1100 to 1500. The Domesday book had daily accounts of some peasants. 1538 is when parish registers became a thing in England.

1100 domesday book

1100 to 1538 maybe church records?

1538 parish records (NA UK)

1837 civil registration in UK (GRO)

1850 civil registration in Australia per state (PROV)

1924 civil registration in Federated Australia (NAA)

Quite the discovery I must say. I learnt something this month myself.

Wisdom offering:

People always tell me that they deserve a sexy partner. I tell them there are 23 million people in Australia and 8 billion in the world. Is that enough? 

Then you hear them complain about individuals they have rejected in the past. This was coming from men telling me stories of women they have rejected on the first day I met them. Geez. What part of my face says, “psychologist”. 

The usual complaints were:_

• Short hair/height
• Spoilt (nail painting/brand wearing)
• A single mom with children
• Lives with/cares for their ageing parents
• Has too many friends/goes out a lot
• Not into doing extreme sports daily/every weekends
• Works on weekends

Uh. These are females who have a life of their own life and priorities. What’s wrong with that? Really. I don’t see a problem. What I see is someone who is unwilling to compromise and not keen to meet their partner half way. 

July 2024

The modern day is riddled with bullet holes. 

My latest mobile phone fiasco has led me to feel I have no choice but to wilt down my memberships and cut my losses. Bye-buh useless retail shop memberships!

The local council has issue you an infringement notice for not mowing your grass. If your grass has exceeded 150mm then it has violated the local by-laws. Ugh. 

Work

Some progress to take place.

PoGo

Quiet in the western end. Unless you are attending those summer Go Fest events, there is nothing really happening in the local areas.

Dating

Another guy tried to keep on the line while he no longer wish to meet up after our first catch up. Hey, if you do not following up with a second date, consider yourself binned!

June 2024

I find so many people are filled with regret as they get older. Whereas I have too many weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. And for some reason and somehow I would physically injure myself. Which in turn delaying many of my projects. This age-ing process is trying to slow me down. However, I find sitting down and watching videos to be boring.

Work

We are trying to find ways to make searching the collection easy and an enjoyable experience. We have started to consult a digital strategist. How interesting.

PoGo

I got a hundo Komala (aka a koala). God damn cute! Then a hundo Oranguru. Finally!

Dating

Scammers lack romantic skills in wooing me over. They are getting lazier by the day.

Men need to learn to enjoy life without groups of people.

Men need to stop saying travelling overseas is a bucket list thingy, when it is a regular thing for the most people. Here is a tip for you, if you are elderly and frail travelling overseas or camping where there are steep hills and cobble steps you are more likely to get hurt and you will take longer to recover from norovirus on cruise ships.

Many of these men seem to lack stills in privacy and protecting their and close family member's personal data. Shockingly piss poor.

May 2024

It is bitter cold these mornings. The sun comes out for the most part and during mid afternoon. The leaves have fallen from the elm trees in the city. Not much city sweepers abuut near the leaves. Only the main street where the shops are located can you spot a street sweeper vehicle go by.

Work

It has been steady. However, I feel immensely tired right after dinner. I find myself sleeping until the next day.

PoGo

I am starting to come across shinies and hund again. From my guess, my casual way of play while travelling does not reap a great deal of rewards compared to going ham with selective friends in Melbourne.

Dating

No action here.

April 2024

Overall, the cruise was an okay experience.

The boarding pass was a problem on embarkation day. Thankfully, the security staff at Civitaveechia was kind enough and allowed us to proceed through with printed paper booking from travel agent as proof. The check-in staff wrote down our room number on paper. There were no team leaders to guide anyone. Most people loitered around the centre of ship looking dazed. We guided ourselves to our state room haphazardly.

The double days at sea was some what fun on the cruise. The food was salty and bland. The Sun Princess seem to be inexperience at food experiences. 99% of the activities were listening to cover songs being performed by talented musicians or singers. A few times there were trivia nights. One magic show. One puppet show. The mediterranean sea was rough. Pretty much every night the pool deck was closed up and activities were cancelled due to wild winds. Ha Ha.

My brother and I got the stomach flu on the 7th day. I was ill but I was able to walk to shore to see a chemist in Genova. Overall, the cruise was okay. So-so shore excursions, and several add-on cost shuttle bus services. 

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Day 11 - 01 April 2024 at Gibraltar.

We gathered in Horizon dining hall deck 7. We were allocated a number and colour sticker upon entry and waited until our bus has arrived. Bro and I had silver 9 sticker. We were aligned to a small coach with the sign silver 9 and a tour guide, Linne. A retired grandmother.

The bus tour took us through rough rugged built looking tunnel roads. Arriving at a port with a playground, a cafe, toilets, and a soccer field. By the light house were cannons facing the Mediterranean Sea. Here you can see cannons on cliff tops. Across from Gibraltar was Morocco. Wow. 7 miles apart. Then the bus went up the steep roads to St Michael’s Cave. Note: I didn’t book cable car or sky walk. Not that bro was keen to do it. 

The St. Michael’s cave had a dazzling array of light shows and music. It enhance the lime stones formation with the way it hugged the lines. We took as much pics as we could. Certainly wet inside. Both on the ground and from the ceiling. You needed a rain coat with a hoodie Apparently, there are over 200 caves in this area. We are only shown one on this tour. When we exited the cave. Bro purchased a can of coke. I saw a monkey by the bin and took pics of it.  Next thing everyone took a pic of it too. lol. The monkey was willing to pose for pics. 

While the bus was heading to the Under the Siege tunnels, we stopped by the Apes Den area and I got the chance to film several monkeys interacting with each other. The little ones were by far the cutest. The monkeys were playful and showed off for a good 5 minutes. It was a great stop by. I was able to take many photographs of them. 

The military tunnel had strategic view of the airport and neighbouring bays. The walk way was a narrow slope. Walk slowly okay. The tunnel goes deeper, but our host was only hired for 3 hours and was expected to only cover the gist of main attractions. 

The bus drove us through small narrow streets to show us what life was once like from behind the sea wall. Mainly, schools and hospitals were relocated to reclaimed land. More flat and ease of access. Meanwhile, the churches remained in the same location. 

They dropped us off at Castmate Square. We went in search of a supermarket and looked at the souvenirs. Bro bought several packs of smoke and toothpaste. I found a store selling UK’s Hotel Chocolate bars and bon bons. Okay looking. I went with the smallest pack for 4 euros. It tasted bland. We purchased a plush monkey pencil case for 8 euro. The coin souvenir machine asked for 2 euro and 5 cents. I had no 5 cents. Oh well. Another loss. No monkey coin then. 

Bro came back to the shop at 3pm. He didn’t want to explore the city. When you don’t set an agenda the man just wants to return to his room. No one gets fit by sleeping all day. 

The cruise ship deck 18 and 19 has a few bird poo. It seems if you stay still birds will shit on you. 

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Day 12 - 2 April 2024 at Cartagena.

We took a morning stroll through the shopping street. Too early. Everything was closed. Walked to the round about to do a dragon raid. HaHa. Way to go Pokemon Go. The suburbia streets begin here. Local shops and restaurants. Schools even!

Bro and I headed to Muram art gallery and it was pretty cool. Some of Salvador Dali bronze work is kept here. Wow. Scary staircase. Made of recycle plastics and transparent. Shook too.

There were some local police blocking a small section of a street. Searching for someone as it more police cars came by. After taking another route, we found the electronic elevator to the up parts of the castle.

We went up Ascensor panorámico. View is lovely up here. Teatro Romano de Cartagena (roman theatre) was amazing. Barco Turístico ship ride was worth it. #SPAIN

Roman theatre

Boat tour of the bay

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Day 13 - 3/4/2024 in #Palma (#Mallorca) #SPAIN beautiful food, sculptures, and many narrow streets. No time to go in the palace or cathedral. 600 yo olive tree by the town hall. Whoa. 

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Day 14 - 4/4/2024 Barcelona 

Day 14 - 4/4/2024 #Barcelona #SPAIN We scrambled to Mirador torre Glòries and was there upon opening. No queue. What a view. Then hopped on bus V25 to Parc del Laberint d'Horta. A white cat entertained us on the way out. Then late seafood lunch. Big oysters at Boqueria market. Back to shuttle after that. 

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Day 15 - 5/4/2024 #Marseille has a pretty bay and highly elaborate Cathedral de ja major (good diorama) and Notre dame de garde (best view of the city and bay). We went on a walking tour then took a choo choo train up the hill. Lavender ice cream has a unique flavour here. #FRANCE

The cafe bar by the bay was rude and did not take our order despite we knew what we wanted. the waitress was busy serving the big American family. Oh wells. 

Off to the cathedral we go. The diorama inside were very vivid. It would be even better if the blind was allowed to touch them. Unfortunately, they were hung high up.  You are lucky to be able to take a photograph of it. 

In the back ground, they have an audio tape playing in the background. Those attending the church can repeat after it without staff attendance. 

We left the cathedral la major to find outlet shuttle bus. We found a way down to it. Bro wanted to find snack food. Nothing but bars here. He was disappointed. 

When we got back to the ship and we ate some sweets from the International Cafe. After having the small piece of brownie I fell asleep. I woke up and felt like vomiting. I continued to do so during dinner and after dinner and after watching a movie. Strange. I haven’t vomit so much in years. Odd is when this vomit makes you have diarrhea at the same time.

Pissed off bro. All he could think of was cancelling the visit to the next port. Shame. As I am in need of medicine. Something he is incapable of asking for. Hence why females call him man-child. 

I had to replenished my own water bottle in my weaken condition. I had to turn off the light as he was lazy to get up and turn off the lights. I had to take my medication in the dark. 

Each time the vomit made me poo, I had no choice but to change my pads. Which I’m running low on now. I washed my underpants and pants as the diaoherra has overloaded the sanitary pad. Geez. In my weaken state, I was able to use the shower head to blast hot water on them. Lucky, I kept spare shorts and undies and panty liners. 

I do feel I am on my own sometimes. I book everything, I use Google map to find everything, I fill out every paper work. I feel my travel companions are not the most dependable individuals even if we are edging closer to old age. 

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Day 16 - 6/4/2024 Genoa

Day 16 - 6/4/2024 #Genoa #Italy

in my weaken state, I will continue to get out there. Despite I’ve lost my appetite. The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno had huge sculptures for time stones. Wow. Cathedral San Lorenzo was pretty inside and outside. The mariner was quite lively today. 

Sore throat just got real. I have tried to prevent it but the amount of cruise passengers coughing has worsen my condition. 

You have to repeat yourself when you sit by yourself in Horizon dining hall. Not once, not twice, but four times. Staff have poor memory here. 

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Day 17 - 7/4/2024 La Spezia Italy

Last day on the ship and we are off on a shore excursion. 

Day 17 - 7/4/2024 ship docked at #LaSpezia #Italy Bro and I went on a half day tour of #PISA and we only hung around the field of miracle. We got to pose with the leaning tower of Pisa. 

I feel too ill to walk along a port where all the shops are closed on Sunday. 

Bro and I remained on the ship sun baking and surfing the Internet on our mobile phones. While Harry styles music was played on the giant screen on the ship’s pool deck. 

We watched movie: The Guardians of the Galaxy III. Plus Saltburn. 

Most of the production were talented musicians doing cover songs for the American crowd. Which appealed to many but it bored the pants of some travellers. 

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Day 18 - 8/4/2024 Fiumicino 

Woke up at 5am. Visited the loo x3 times. Stomach flu still around. 

Bro wanted to leave the room at 7:30am instead of 7:55. Sigh. Then he didn’t want to stick around deck 9 and sit down and get some sun. Heads straight down to deck 7 when our roll call is not until 9:15am. Geez. We arrived here 7:50am too early. Boring. 

Disembarking the Sun Princess while feeling semi sick and heading to Fiumicino. Hope to find a pharmacy soon. 

Day 18 - 8/4/2024 disembarked ship and hopped on transfer coach (USD 80) to #Fiumicino.. After a late lunch at Fish Take Away shop.  Off to Spiaggia Libera (free beach). Sand wise looks polluted. Water has life: crab, sea cucumber, and fishes. We detoured to Todis (grocery store) to buy some water.

I purchased yogurt drink, carrot juice, bananas, and red bull for bro. 

We found a pharmacy nearby and I purchased medicine to heal from the illness I had caught earlier while on the cruise ship. The pharmacist said you are suppose to take 4 Imodium tablets on the first instance. Oh. 

We saw a few cute cats long on our afternoon walks. People would be fishing by the piers. Bro saw one dead fish floating back to the ocean. Ew. 

The area is very local resident based and not much tourists here. Maybe by the hotels but not on foot in the streets. 

Many of shops cover basic necessities, variety stores, and elderly fashion. 

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Day 19 - 9/4/2024 Paris (arrive)

The airport shuttle bus driver drove really well and delivered us to terminal 1 smoothly. We arrived just in time for a bag drop. The staff at EasyJet were nice. 

We went through security control okay. Bro was stopped because his hands smelled of tabaco smoke. Other than that no problems. 

The CiccoloItalani served hot chocolate hazelnut drink £5.70. So delicious. 

There is so much local produce here from around the country. Truffle, olive oil, lemoncello liquor. I have no luggage space left. Aww. 

Bye Roma. You have been delightful delicious to visit. 

I had plenty of hazelnut and chocolate gelato, lots of pistachio filled sweets, locally made pasta, bread, and meat. Bro loved the markets and deli stores the most. Followed by churches with amazing ceilings, highly decorated chapels, and walkable rooftops. 

I was getting the hang of drinking my hot chocolate by the counter. Buying gelato and hot chocolate from CiccoloItalani, chocolates from Verdi, basics from Todis and Carrefour, and having porchetta panini everywhere for lunch or hot pasta for dinner. 

I would highly recommend people visit Italia and go beyond Roma to see local attractions and food. 

Now to Paris to visit Loire Valley chateau and to see Bro’s friend after 7 years. 

Day 19 - 9/4/2024 Arrivederci! #Rome the land of delicious chocolate hazelnut ice cream. Bonjour! #FRANCE and buck wheat crepes (more than 5 crepe cafes on Rue du Montparnasse). Walked around 6th ARR. 

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Day 20 - 10/4/2024 Nantes

I had bloodshot eyes. None of my eye drops are working. 

Bro sure does not like these early morning train rides. He snoozed all the way to Nantes on the train. While I had to source my own water for my sore throat. With the kindness of strangers I had someone point me out to a working toilet. While I was waiting to use the (broken) toilet, the ticket inspector came by and I got them to scan my pass and advised them my brother was fast asleep in the carriage nearby. Phew. 

The station was big. We took the south exit. I managed to find Tram number 1. Which bloggers recommend to use. However, forgot to mention it was in the north exit. 

We got to see the giant elephant animatronic. What an experience to come across such a machine in person upfront. The grand elephant sprayed water at me while I was filming. Funny. To ride you have book it at the main building. Only 3 sessions a day: 10:15, 2:15, 4;30pm. Bro didn’t want to walk back to the area. Just a visit to the gallery of selective animatronic and see demonstrations. It was pretty good and fun to be part of. 

Day 20 - 10/4/2024 #Nantes #FRANCE #LoireVAlley Bro and I saw so many things here. Les Machines de l'Île, La Cigale, Passage Pommeraye, île de Versailles (mini Japanese garden), and walked along Château des ducs de Bretagne’s walls. Quite the view. 

La Cigale was a classic French bistro. The menu was filled with fishes. The potato puree I had was fluffy light as whipped cream. Not sweet but savoury. 

Passage pomme was decorative but time was limited and we have to head to a mini Japanese garden and the chateau. 

There is a great deal of history here. Inventors. Self regulated government. Female movement. Beyond the old city area is some steep hills. Bro did not want to venture too far out. There were many little shops along the cobble streets. You can walk for hours and not know where you are. Hee hee. I purchased some biscuits to eat later. 

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Day 21 - 11/4/2024 Tours

Transferred at Saint Pierre Des Corps to Château de Chenonceau. Omg! It is so picturesque and the garden(s) so many and so big that they cannot be captured in 1 photo. You will need aerial view. 

To get to the kitchen and its many little spaces you walked down a narrow staircase. There were covered bridges. Stairways that lead down to the river. Quite elaborate. 

Spit roast stand with mechanism connected to turn them evenly. A wood fire oven for baking bread. Two small dining areas. 

There were several master bedroom. The upper floors had darker covered bedrooms. 

There was a labyrinth made of short hedges. Hee hee. A few of us wondered around in it. 

Day 21 - 11/4/2024 #Tours #FRANCE Château de Chenonceau was a good choice and easy one to start with in #LoireVAlley. Many rooms and gardens. Loved the maze. Easy to navigate. The elaborate rooms, views of the river, forest, and garden. Quite surreal to be standing in such a historic building. 

Tours has a main road that goes a very long way. There is not much of ruins or huge attractions in Tours. Plenty of locals going about their daily rituals. Peaceful here. 

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Day 22 - 12/4/2024

Slept in. Still got red eyes. Coughing fits have reduced and throat is somewhat loosen a bit. 

Sussed out the airport train and it is not speedily at all compared to Tokyo or Zurich or Sydney train to the airport which is much more direct. Quite retarded and slow. I am working out the kinks on my lonesome. My brother’s friend cannot give us any hints as she has family members drive her to the airport. She is has not been an independent traveller. Ah. I see. 

Anyways, bro want to take a stroll through a mini market and have a smoke break. I waited until he is finished then catch a train to the Battle Kart (digital go kart) centre. All the way in zone 4, Parc des Exposition metro station above ground. We only purchased a daily ticket for zone 1 and 2 that did not get us anywhere much. We had to go back to Gare du Nord and buy card board ticket one way. 

The only way to cross over is to go underground via locked gate. Strange!

What bro doesn’t understand is Asian food doesn’t mean cheap in Paris. Unless you make it yourself. He insists on hot Asian food. He insists on wearing a t-shirt because it is sunny. Ugh. The wind is cold and if you plan to hang out until 9pm you better have thermal wear in the evening.

Bro keeps thinking grocery stores will open until midnight. Ugh. In what city? And if you say convenient stores then you are wrong. Those are not grocery stores. Expect to pay more for everything. 

Day 22 - 12/4/2024 #Paris #Nord Slept in so body can heal. Heaps of bakeries in Rue Daguerre (street) near metro stn Denfert-Rochereau. Battle Kart (digital go kart) was in zone 4 and via a locked under pass. We had bento box dinner at Bonjour market (19th ARR.). 

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Day 23 - 13/4/2024 #Paris the 11th ARR. has some creative food outlets and classics. We had croissant at Blé Sucre. Lunch at Le Picotin. Stared at Medici Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg. Ice cream from Amorino Gelato - Paris Huchette (sold by cup size). Dinner at Menelik (Ethiopia cuisine). 

Croissant at Ble Sucre was buttery yum. The canele had a bit medicinal after taste. Hmm. We ate it in a park called Square Trousseau. . 

The area  had young families gathering by the playground. Parents and child would play tag tiggy game. 

Bagels and chocolate stores nearby. 

Just stroll around Paris. 

Stopped by Notre Dame. We had ice cream at Armino. Sells by the size of cup and you can put several scoops of flavours into it. 

Day 24 - 14/4/2024 #Paris we started brunch at Sain Boulangerie (Rue des Gravilliers) > Saint-Eustache Church > Galeries Lafayette “gourmet” and “dome” + glass platform walk >  Printemps Haussmann roof top. Breath taking views all day. 

Brunch 

Shopping mall

Dome viewing 

Glass platform

Rooftop viewing on 7th floor of Printemps Haussmann building. 

Ramen for dinner at Hakata Choten (near Opera). It was Bro’s first time having black garlic oil in his pork broth. Hee hee. 

Day 25 - 15/4/2024 

In the wee morning my brother and I proceeded to double check our documentation and luggages. We checked out of the hotel. Bro had a sore throat. I did all the talking. It was cold as can be. We dragged out bags to bus stops in search of the one that goes to La Defense metro train station. It was the only metro station that goes to the CDG. That or you take a taxi. 

Once we got to the CDG airport, we saw shuttles, long corridors, several check points, and a circular building structure. Also, we were told we were too early for check-in. I went in search of hot food and cool drink for bro's burning throat and hunger. Boy, were there many students by Maccas. They were hidden behind the check-in counters. Big and plenty of signs for toilets.

After we got past all the security, custom, and tax check points, we made it into the oval hall for our flight gate. Bro wanted a place to nap, but everywhere were people excited and chatty. There were no shaded area for those who wish to rest. Nothing but lights and noise. It felt like a casino floor. No pharmacy either. I could not buy more supplies for bro. We had to wait until we reach Singapore airport and hope for the best. I gave bro my remaining cough lollies.

Singapore airport had two pharmacy and I was able to buy stronger medicine for bro. Another cool drink and hot food to eat. While I had treats. Damn those chatty old folks on mobile phones ruining bro's nap by the napping area. The butterfly area is still warm and beautiful as always. 

On the aeroplane I watched a fair few movies:

Anyone but you

Wish (Disney cartoon)

My SHINee World (over the decades concert highlights and reflection)

Ferrari

Dream Scenario

March 2024

The cold winds have started to gather their pace. The evenings are feeling just a little bit nippy now.

Work

Intense. An event at work was cancelled and was labelled as "risk to children", ouch, what a way to state it and publicly too. Um. I would have used another term instead. This really hurt the participating parties. Meanwhile, internally we are trying to grasp how we would like to celebrate "multicultural", I would say equal opportunity would suffice, since tea parties does not really make people feel good, it is more like a slap in the face. 

PoGo

The events are bland and not exciting. Arthur and I have gone into lazy mode. Just not catching as much and really sitting back.

Dating

The apps bore me at this point in time. I keep coming across scammers-liars.

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The vacation. 

Europe round 2. Italy - 10 day mediterranean sea cruise - France.

Day 0 - 21 March 2024

A hot day.  Tiding up little loose ends.  I will be taking my Kathmandu two piece jacket as it can be cold on aeroplanes and it might rain in cities. Climate change has changed seasons and making everything unpredictable and more wild weather. 

At Changi airport, terminal 3, gate 16, there was a hot water dispenser instead of a cold water one. The ladies and I who were in the queue could not help but laugh at how insane that was. In the end, we did find cold water to fill out water bottles. Bro suggested it might be for warming up milk bottles because it was located next to the parents room. I watched some movies on the aeroplane: Nun 2, Death in Venice, Barbie, Past Lives, Equaliser 3, and Priscilla. Bro found sleeping upwards a challenge. I could not help but doze off while watching movies.

Day 1 - 22 March 2024. Rome. 

Bro and I hit up the usual historical spots upon arrival. The Trevi fountain, Patheon, 3 fountains in Piazza Di Navona, Colosseum, Basilica San Pietro, Castel Sant Angelo. We admired them from the outside. Lunch at Pasta el Vino - Palombella near the Patheon. They made gluten free pasta for me. I had cacio e pepe and it was delicious. Bro had porchetta tapas. We went into a church. Basilica Di Saint Andrea Delle Valle. The ceiling was beautifully painted and decorated. There were many ceramic sculptures at this church. Plus it was free to enter too. Also, it is located on the main street. Dinner at Mama Eats Lab near Castel Sant Angelo. We tried to catch a bus back but the lady at the metro sold us a one way card board ticket instead of the 10 trip ticket booklet.

Day 2 - 23 March 2024. Bologna.

Bro and I popped over to Padova after missing 1 high speed train in Rome. I bought a pair of sunnies from the market by Prato della Valle. Ducked into Abbazia di Santa Giustina and The Basilica of St. Anthony Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova (omg! U get to touch S’Antonio tomb!). After a donation you get to take home an olive branch. 

We missed my booked train at Rome. Upon arrival it stated platform 27 then it changed to platform 10 in the last 10 minutes before departure. It was too far away to run for. The staff at the office box was able to book us on to next the train. Phew. While on the train the ticket inspector came by and said you have activate each person pass individually and add journey in advance and turn it on, even if you have paid for a seat reservation ages ago. The inspector showed us how to do it. Still I had to pay a fine of EU 100. Ah. My fault for not mastering how to add a journey and validate my fare. Well, at least we have a seat on board the train and we will get to our destination on time. 

After having dropped the suitcases off, we went to catch a train to Padova. It has really beautiful sculptures and small streets. It is the basilica that won bro over. Antonio tombstone. You were allowed to touch it without payment or a ticket! Wow. Visitors would bring a photograph of their children and pin it to the board. The painted ceilings. The gold relics. Metal gates in front of each chapel. Quite spectacular. No photograph allowed. Sad. The fountain Prato della valle was pretty. Surrounded by youth gathering around in clusters. Also, there was a Saturday market selling discount clothing, accessories, fruit, and flowers. We purchased sunnies and mandarins. We had to catch our train back to HQ and had to skip Scovergni chapel. Not enough time to browse and gawk. Also, ticketed entry. The tram was always packed! Lots of fare evaders here. Meanwhile, there were plenty of buses on the road. They go beyond the tram line. Just need to flag them down and you are good to go. Padova is a busy transfer station. A sea of youths would rush on in every hour. You gotta watch for pick pocketing people. 

Day 3 - 24 March 2024. Bologna.

Another sunny day in #Italy. Bro & I sussed out the #Bologna mercato. From Despar, Coop, to Mercato di Mezzo. Stroll thru Basilica di San Petronio, Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita, Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano, and Santuario Madonna di San Luca. 

The mandarin from the Padova market was nice for breakfast. Cools the throat. Basilica di San Petronio was Huge! Much of the area was sectioned off for mass attendees. It made sense. Sacred areas. One must respect their choice. Mercato di Mezzo was a small food hall. Oh. That’s what it is. Similar to Granville Market but smaller. We had a bite of some fried anchovies chips and they were salty delicious. Around the corner from Mercato di Mezza was a deli selling panino with fresh cuts of meat. It was called Tamburini. (Via Caprarie No. 1, 40224 Bologna). I had the mortadella e mozzarella bufula panino was very fulfilling and fluffy soft. Bro had the porchetta. The meat was buttery without needing to butter bread. Yum. We were unable to find the third arrow along the passage way. The more we walked along we came across the Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano. It was a cool spot to rest your feet. Note: there was no bench in sight. 

Then we went past Museo musica before walking to find bus 20 to go to San Luca hill. There we took the stairs up 1600 arch ways to the top to see Santuario Madonna di San Luca. It was gorgeous! The views of rolling hills, farms, and mountains were beautiful. Fresh air. Nothing but blue skies above this amazing structure. The interior was magnificent. We were allowed to walk up to the altar! The Madonna was encased in gold frame. Small as the painting of Mona Lisa. Hee hee. They had fresh water for bottle refill, a church shop, and toilets. 

I noticed all the churches hand over olive branches to visitors to take home with a simple request of a donation. You don’t give the branch to god though. You just take it home. 

We took the bus headed home, purchased some water bottles. The Coop supermarket had self check out machines but to get out you have to scan the barcode on your receipt against the pole or get stuck. A local kindly showed us what to do. We decided to rest and only wake up at 9pm. Since it was Sunday most late night joints were closed. We went to a pizzeria bar by the corner. Our pizza came out soggy. 

Day 4 - 25 March 2024. Florence.

Bro purchased a pistachio creamer croissant. It tasted yummy. 

The Bologna train station has monitors everywhere so you can watch if your train switches and arrives on another platform. Much better than Rome. It even has screens indicating coach numbers. Saving you time on working out where to line up. Feels just that little bit smoother. Now we know why the locals hang around the giant television screen each time they arrive at the train station. 

The morning walking tour was great. I learnt a great deal about influence and workmanship it took to build this city great architecture. Rings around old building were for horses. A crest was a family business marketing tool. 

The windows placement were designed by Michael Anglo for the

Medici family and he desired symmetry, support beam, mini roof above each one. All this was for the people’s well being. Each arch way makes a perfect square. Building design can bring about well being?

Porchetta with salsa verde panini from a store in a window and it was delicious. The meat was cut from a whole roasted pig.  Bro and mine were close to the head of the pig. Ew and Wow at the same time. The skin was clacking beautiful though. 

Grom ice cream was decent. Still it cannot beat Gelato Messina. 

The procession finally took off at 3pm near of the squares with a carousel. We saw men wore different outfit from the ages. Some carried flags, weapons, and even wheeled a small cannon. To see the changes that took place shows great maintenance of culture and language. 

The evening walking tour was also great. I learnt about merchant built churches. Crest. Monograms. Symbols. Shows of wealth and branding. 

Monday is not a good day to look for local produce, most of tiny food eatery were closed. Especially outside of Florence city center. 

The Mercato centrale was a big food hall. It had two floors of seating. A bar waitress would come around to take your drink order. How amazing. Bro and I had a glass of rose and coke cola. For dinner we ordered rigatoni carbonara and beef brisket with potato.  Tiramisu and mini pistachio layer cake. 

Day 5 - 26 March 2024. Venice.

The cafe at the train station served us hot drinks very quickly and tasted delicious. Pay at central counter and pick up by drink section. 

Marchini time (bar passticceria) near the Rialto bridge sold me a pistachio cookie with chocolate chips. Yum but dry. You have to be pushy to place an order here. 

Bro found a public toilet and once we made it in. A group of Chinese tourist tried to barge in. The staff at hand was very cool and heard the group. However, the tour guide was slack in clamping down her herd of people. I told one at a time and slowly in taking turns. 

The buildings here look a bit common. Only the few listed as tourist attraction were grand on the outside. The queues were long and bro didn’t want to line up. I didn’t book in advance just he didn’t want to see it. 

While on the water bus we saw lots of private gardens. When we walked around the narrow streets and come across bridge we saw how low the rooms are to the waters. 

The streets all blend into one. One can easily get lost here. Not great for people with bladder problem, heart issues, or need ambulance help. Rainy days make the place a slip hazard. The churches here prefer the grey appeal. Amazing ceilings. Grand chapels. 

Florian cafe was beautiful and classic service was top notch. The food was delicious too. Those who cannot withstand cream or need gluten free option might want to skip the dessert. 

Lots of glassware not robust or friendly for air travel sadly. A few scarf on sale. Some of the designs were tacky looking or plain for the price. Once you seen and touched fabrics from Japan, everything seem to be of poor workmanship. Overall, it seems Italy only has churches and paintings of Christ. It makes you wonder else are there here to do.

Oh. Racism exists outside the touristy area of Venice. I kid you not. There this place refused to sell a cookie tin. Those who came after me ordering coffee got responses. Cf.  https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tqrk5tGgVw7etWe66?g_st=ic

The water bus is fun way to experience and see Venice. All day ticket is a great. There are some

Fare evaders here. Lots of school groups and walking tour groups. 

By the time we got back to Bologna, we put down our bag and went to dinner in the city centre. Bro said it was my fault for not telling him to bring warm clothes. I said I’m not your mother and I would never buy clothes for you or tell you what to wear. I’m a traveller who carries all season layered clothing. That’s how I’ve been rolling for 20 years. How can I teach someone who won’t listen and just watches YouTube all day long? Seriously? There is the Internet and it tells you the weather everyday and forecasts. For fuck sake learn to look up information on your own. 

Day 6 - 27 March 2024. Milan.

The day started off rainy and cold. Upon arrival we were greeted with a giant station and you had to go 3  to 4 floors below to reach the Metro station. There we brought the 24 hr transit ticket for 7.50 Euros. Which is cheaper than city pass 15 Euros. We saved 50%. Hooray!

We got to the Milan Duomo on time. We entered with no problem. Only a small section was open to the public. The centre and the altar was off limits. The crypt and roof is an extra cost. I got the combo ticket online. We had to exit the church and go to gate 1. From there security found bro had a pocket knife in his bag. Why would anyone carry that to church. Anyways, security took it and we were allowed to proceed up to the roof top. For someone who is into hotels and travelling overseas totally forgot the rules of prohibited items. Also, there is no point in yelling at me. I’m not the idiot traveller.  Besides who needs to clip his nails in public! I just sand down my nails, I’ve never clipped them in public. 

Besides the minor drama. The view from the rooftop was amazing! Way better the duomo in Florence. Every spire was adorn with a sculpture. Every inch of the way was slippery due to rain. You can easily fall off the balcony. The marble staircase was steep. No chance of filming it. It would be a balance problem to be holding your mobile phone and grappling the walls. Definitely an experience. More than a dome. More than city views. It is praying on a rooftop. Wait! How did those monks in robes move around this duomo? Hmm. The coin souvenir machine asked for 2 euro and 5 cents. I had no 5 cents. Oh well. No Milan Duomo coin then. 

After the journey of the booked and paid for visit to the rooftop. We went to the old open mall to use the toilet and eat ribs n burgers for lunch. The place had high end brands and some restaurants. Most of the tourist and I posed in the centre on top of the shield. I twirled anticlockwise and posed in the centre of the old Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and made a few people laugh. I hope good luck will come my way. 

We then walk to Uniqlo to buy bro some warm clothes and jacket at the lowest price. Those he could have bought clothes at Padova market for a fraction of the price. Oh wells. Two jackets and merino wool jumper later he felt better. 

The Castello Sforzesco was huge! Free to enter. I saw four cats. The park behind it had squirrels. We headed to the giant arch and went to catch tram 10. As we got closer to the tram stop bro said he has misplaced his day pass. Ugh. Dude learn to put things into pockets. We are travelling here. Found it after a tram has left. Lucky they were frequent and you can hop on any time before 6pm. 

The canal was empty on one side and full of eatery offering happy hour drinks with buffet. I took a break to try gelato made by CioccolatItaliani and it was yummy. A whole hazelnut can be found in the chocolate ice cream. The frozen chocolate on the wafer and drizzled on my ice cream looked like magic chocolate as it harden. I chose the dark chocolate option. 

There were two bridges where tourists can pose and one had pad locks on them. At least we found it. After a short stroll, the canal was empty of shops and bars, becoming a residential area. We proceed to find a tram stop to take us to a shopping strip street. It had lots of brands and bland clothes. We got bored and went back to the main station for a light dinner. Venchi store has delicious chocolates, it had either filled orange jelly or pistachio nuts in the centre. I got mom a book box. Yay!

Day 7 - 28 March 2024. Civitaveechia.

The regional train to Rome had no baggage storage facility. So much families on board. Poor bro had to sit by the corridor. We will need to book our transfer train once we arrive in Rome. The regional train to Civitaveechia was packed with people with suitcases. There isn’t much space for all. We were just able to find pull out chairs by the doors. Meanwhile, the suitcases were left in the pram area. Heh. Wrong I know. 

Civitaveechia is a port town with rough waters. Otherwise, it could have been a beautiful beach town. They actually close restaurant between 2-6pm around here. There is a shuttle bus to cruise for 6 euros. The hotel has a personal shuttle bus that leaves at 11am for 15 euros and direct to the door. 

We took the regional train back to Rome to eat gelato one more time and buy two more book boxes. Venchi spoils me. We had a light lunch and when up a hill to look at the Colosseum up close. One more time. The lasagna from a cafe set off the hives in me. I took my medicine and sat by the stone bench shaking. It took 2 hours for it to settle down. We walked back to the station to buy some snacks and caught a train back to Civitaveechia. 

Day 8 - 29 March 2024. Civitaveechia.

We had brekkie at the Mercato Central. L’Angolo Della Carne. 2 Porchetta sandwiches. Spicy herb sauce. The butcher offered bro a sample of the pork jerky. The streets around the market were lively after 10am. People would fill the streets and cafes. We did not wonder too far, as we had a shuttle bus to catch.

The shuttle bus from the hotel did take us directly to the entrance of the check-in for the cruise ship. Neat.

Some of the Princess packages were 50% off when you purchase on board via the QR code or queue up and speck to the cruise’s guest service desk staff. We skipped it.

There were no general ship tour. Only back of house kind of tour available said Lee. The stateroom guest room attendee. 

Corinne. The ship entertainment director gave a presentation.

Dial 5555 - dining reservations.

Deck 6 & 7 - Formal dining style. 

Deck 8 - Americano. 10pm. All day meals. No booking required. 

Deck 9 - The Eatery (buffet). 

International cafe - 24/7 food. The drinks are not included. 

Nive. The customer service manager. Lead a tour showing the main eating spots. Horizon hall has 3 floors. The specialty restaurants have limited seating so reservation is a must. A few of the bars will offer live music. Princess Live small room offers entertainment and demonstrations through out the day. 

I went and proceed to walk around the ship a bit longer. I learnt only through the midship lift can you find doors on deck 17 and 18 that leads to pools. Which you then take outside stairs to deck 19. 

Bro found the laundry mat and went to line up. He felt bored and stressed. I told him, he can go to deck 9 to eat anything and drink anything he liked. It was the buffet station. He started to calm down a little after that. Bro spent most of his time doing laundry and returning to his room to sleep.  While I waited for the sail away party and it was so so. Felt like shopping centre level entertainment. 

In the evening, Bro and I attended a jewellery talk about diamonds and received a green stone sun pendant. We watched David Myers and musicians perform. It was brilliant. Dinner at Horizon Hall was ok, service was slow, you have to be pushy be noticed. The staff refused to answer if a meal was an additional cost for those who did not buy the food package. It frustrated Bro. 

Bro went for smoko. I went to watch Movie under the stars. The staff setup different lounge chairs and placed a blanket on each one. Tonight’s movie was Avatar: The way of water. Bro later joined me and watched the ending of the movie. He enjoyed the experience of sitting outdoors and watching a movie. 

=====

Day 9 - 30 March 2024 at Sea. 

When you don’t buy a package or upgrade or stay in the signature suites. Your questions goes unanswered in the apps. Quite the discrimination. Oh the messages comes through at 8:52am! Omg. Woke up to watch My Big Fat Greek wedding at 10am. I had an early lunch from The Eatery. Attended another shopping talk and fell asleep in it. I got another black stone sun pendant from it. 

The eye treatment session was delayed and then cancelled. We had a introduction to Spanish lesson. Bro went back to room to nap. I went to watch Snowball bingo and Music Spoon lesson in the Irish O’Malley bar. Then I went and did 30 minutes of brisk walking on deck 19. 

The captain champagne reception was well received. A lot of people dressed up informal gear for the evening event. We had free bubbles for once. So many events here seem to skip on the bubbles when it was listed in the program. Johan Anderson sang Winners Takes All in Swedish language. Wow. Quite the good arena show. After that we watch the rest of the movie Megan. Bro was shocked by its advancement and hilarious dance moves. 

=====

Day 10 - 31/3/2024 at Sea

Slept in. Then proceed to The Eatery for a fish curry and Thai green curry, and strawberry mousse for lunch. 

We went to another sparkle event. I learnt about the table head of the diamond is old and dated. Americans prefer dome top diamond. The brand that creates it was called Crown of Light. Run by Diamond International company. I have never heard of them. I can see why people rob those who have been on a cruise through the Carriabeen Sea. 

2:30pm, Dk4, The Landing. Spanish language lesson. We had a good lesson on placing a food order. H between two vowels is not pronounced. Accent letter means we emphasis that syllable. Ción = Sion. 1 glass of white wine. Cameraro por favore, un copa vino blanco. Paella = Paell-yo-a

3:30pm Dk 19. Topple the Giant Tower.

A group of us took turns to take a block without toppling the tower. The wind would like a turn too. The first attempt ended pretty quickly. The second time in a corner we managed to do 1 and half rounds. A few time the wind wanted to topple the tower. Luckily, we had 4 people who knew to how to play it. It was so much fun. 

Rest in room. Bro watched The Bullet Train. 

6pm, Dk7, P/Live. Genoa w Destination Expert Johanna. The expert cannot tell me where to buy bus ticket. They only know about excursions and trains. Odd.

7:30pm, Dk 6, dinner. They had an Easter theme dinner. Cool. The food was bland.

8pm or 10pm, Dk, Arena. The Trawlermen: Furious Folk. Scot and Irish performers. Doing cover songs. Quite a few patrons left the arena after the first two songs. 

February 2024

Stars are not lining up for my family in lottery winnings. I feel tired when people give me a shopping list when I am already busy as it is. The weather has been super hot on the weekends that it can melts brains.

Work

More and more people resign for some reason each week. Project work wise we still carry on and hope to meet our goals. A few of my projects were positively received than others. Still no all gendered toilet or maternity fitted toilets. Accessible toilets in staff areas.

PoGo

By far the most successful aspect in my life. With the increased lucky friends I was able to trigger lucky with many of my friends. One player and I traded a shiny Rayquaza and it went HUNDO! Ah! OMG! Me of all people got it. This was unbelievable, especially when so many players were concerned that I will milk them for a hundo legendary. Well, well, there are players out there who are not afraid of me getting a  successful outcome from the trade. Besides it just one pokemon. 

Then I was able to catch a Galarian Zapdos with an ultra ball and golden raspberry. OMG! Followed by a rare hatch of a Larvesta. Oh yeah! 

Then a normal trade turned into a lucky hundo Drampa. The most newest pokemon to date.

Dating

Fake people still. One insists on talking about Bitcoin, ugh! Another boast about how he can beat others in sports. Yawn. These are not even AI. They lack conversation skills. 

And another one asked if I would be keen to move to another chat app just to waste my time and sell me Bitcoin, ugh. The person never message back within the dating app since.

===================

 

Osaka 2025

6 February 2025

After Sis came back from picking her online purchase, bro drove us to the airport, and we beat the lunch time traffic. It was 31 degrees today. Too hot to wear a jacket outside. 

Once inside people were hovering around the monitors for their flights. Sis and I went into a cafe for lunch. There were only bench seats. I had a salmon soba noodle with orange juice. Sis had a salmon bagel with apple juice. 

At security check Sis was held up for bringing an inappropriate item. I’m like what? Uh. All purpose tool. Ugh. Once that was over and done with we went to smell perfume and pose with displays. 

I completed two T5 battles and 1 Dyna max Moltres. Done for the day. 

Watched movies on the aeroplane

Boston Stranglers
Fly me to the moon
Lee (Miller)
Conclave


7 February 2025

Day 1: our arrival was smooth. For @sngo1982 and I it was a bit of learning g process to work out where to claim all our 3 passes. Luca and Lunk mall has mod itself, Tennoji MIO mall has several sweet shops. The sauce makes takoyaki sing in Namba. 

Sis didn’t bring winter clothing again. 

She got a sore throat and didn’t take medicine on first itch. 

Day 2: (8 Feb 2025) unexpected snow fall in Demachi-Yamato area. Sis didn’t bring her jacket. The locals looked shocked by it too. The park nearby the Demachi-Yanagi station has large rock pebbles to walk on with snow on it.  snap away! We lined up for fresh mochi! 

Day 2: (8 Feb 2025) let it snow, let it snow. @sgo1982 and I saw fresh snow fall in the north. Then ate match curry with matcha noodles for lunch in the south. Followed by an evening of playing a tapping game with a maiko. I lost and drank sake. #Kyoto exp

The snow was fresh! Coming down at a rapid pace. Quite magical. It hurts when the snow flakes jab you in the eye. Nothing has changed there. Where the two river meets up in the fork are walking plank large rocks. Covered in snow. Even the large turtle shaped rocks. 

A family by the park brought their own sleigh ride for kids and some couples were having a picnic under the trees. The tree offered slim shelter from the snow fall. 

Sis and I proceed to line up at the fresh mochi stall. The matcha and yuzu mochi were a bit rubbery. The original black bean one was super soft. The rice and beans was not overly sweet. 


Day 3: (9 Feb 2025) @sngo1982 and I rode the longest cable car in Japan (see Sakamoto). Hieizan Enryaku-ji Temple in fresh snow! Picture perfect views of Lake Biwa. Lake Biwa Prince Hotel has views on 36th floor (food ok lah). The ground floor had light illumination from Xmas. Hee hee#LakeBiwa 

Day 3: (9 Feb 2025). 


叡山延曆寺

Hieizan
Enryaku-ji
Temple

Biwako-Hamaotsu is a main transfer station. 

Snowy cold. Slush and ice was a trip hazard. The buildings had poor insulation against snow. 

There was no warm waiting or resting room. 

Several walking and hiking trails up the mountain. Sadly, the cable only operates until 4pm. So, we had to leave early. 


Day 4: (10 Feb 2025). I hoped on a special rapid instead of local train. Oops! Kobe Kuma Sea World was amazing! I got to see orcas in-person! Plus dolphins ofc. @sngo1982 and I fed sea turtles calamari. Tough jaws! Fun part was getting splash at show time. Hee hee. #Kobe

During the turtle feeding session Sis and I were given a tong and a bucket of sliced squid meat. Sis side of the pool a bigger turtle bit the smaller turtle fins. Someone was super hungry. Everyone was shocked by the experience. It supposed to be a simple experience. Not. lol. These turtle sure have a strong jaw. They clamp down real hard on the tongs. Some couples were scared and just drop meat into the water. I watched the turtles looking left and right, more or less feeling lost. lol. 

We went back for the last orca performance session.  You got it. We got splashed one last time. Then we shopped a storm in the gift store, before leaving for some takoyaki snack, just opposite of the sea world. 

Day 5: (11 Feb 2025). Kani brunch with @sngo1982 in Dotonburi. Shopped up a storm in Don Quijote in Shinsaibashi. The tax free queue was super long. Snack-u in Kyoto. We saw the new electronic rsv system. Punch n wait for number. Suss out valentine choc paradise in Isetan. Posh! #Namba #Kyoto

Day 6: (12 Feb 2025). Once off the train @sngo1982 & I went straight to Temple of Jorenji (via Tobu Tojo line). Narimasu is a relaxing for walks (white sakura).  Sunshine city had Pikachu Sweets - huge take away store. Cheese and rice dori was delicious for dinner. #Tokyo

Day 7: (13 Feb 2025). Boom! Hello Kitty 50th anniversary exhibition at Tokyo National Museum. @sngo1982 loved it. So much collaboration over the years. Lunch @ Saizeriya (ah. melon soda). TeamLab Planets was excellent (unexpected foot bath x2). BYO shorts and flat shoes. #Tokyo

Day 8: (14 Feb 2025). Spent #ValentinesDay in #Tokyo with @sngo1982 and hundred of others at TeamLab Borderless: Mori building. A few interactive art works. Afternoon high tea at Peter Rabbit Garden cafe (Jiyugaoka branch). Nakano (grilled food mecca) for din din. Enjoyed some illumination in Shinjuku. 

I did 1 special trade with Maki (62, f, retiree). Dialga origin. No luck. 

Day 9: (15 Feb 2025). Off to Chiba. part rural, part urban. 3 transfers later. Nokogirriyama-sanroku (cable car) to the peak and to see Nihon-ji Temple daibutsu on a mountain. The path way was filled with rocks and stairs. The carving was impressive though. #Chiba 



There is a machine that lets you reserve your own seats on shinksnsen now and in English. Whoa. Super cool. Now I can book seats for Sis with ease. 


Day 10: (16 Feb 2025). Chiba Zoological garden has some red panda magic. @sngo1982 was in awe. Chiba port area is wide w small gems. Sapporo Chiba Beer Garden (BBQ) was far. Tuck away in an industrial area (Shin-Narashino JR stn). #Chiba

Day 11: (17 Feb 2025). 



The triple transfer from hell.  In the early morning check out you can hear Sis huffing and puffing as she deals with the lack of space in her suitcase had originally. As always she brings too much make up, accessories, and of all things thick jumpers. Then she stuffs her suitcase with fluffy toys and socks. Whereas mine is full of food. Not to boast or anything. I plan to polish the food within days!, as I ain’t carrying them home, only to be confiscated by custom. 

Sis would stand in the middle of the corridor trying to put away her JR Pass. I told her to stand aside and not get knocked by a rush of people. She growls at me. Oh well. Then go ahead get hit by prams, suitcases, bags, and get kick by boots. I can only advise once. Saving my voice for the remainder of my trip. I ain’t gonna mother a bloody forty years old woman. 

I managed to get a good snooze on the first Shinkansen. 

The Shin-Osaka station has the most delicious foods on offer. The smell brings comfort. Sis dashed to get her fave waffles (not available in Tokyo in fresh format). 

There was even staff driving traffic and allocating toilet stalls for you in the female toilet. Talk about being busy. 

The weather is sunny and 16°C today. 

I managed to sneak in a light lunch box in the second Shinkansen. A ginger pork eki ben. 

Sis and I both got aisle seat. Many individuals did not like to sit with a complete stranger. Not much choice now. They will have to put up with our medium thick suitcases now. lol. 

Note: you cannot use Personal Hot Spot on any of Klook eSIM. Moreover, their data chews up pretty quickly than Airaloe eSIM.  I’ll stick with Airalo for better consistency. 


Day 11: (17 Feb 2025). A day of Shinkansen transfers (x3). So many salary man booked window seats for two stops. We sat in aisle seats and constantly having to get up. Ugh. Shin-Osaka had good food, Kokura has some good local produce, Beppu has lots of hotels. #Beppu

Day 12: (18 Feb 2025). Jigoku Meguri (aka Hells of Beppu) was totally FUN! Ask for Common ticket! Foot bath x3. Drank 80°C mineral water. Steamed my face n throat. Drank hot Kabosu. Watched ppl eat steamed eggs. Use Kamenoi 1 day bus pass. Danced in Beppu Tower. Korean BBQ dinner. 

Day 13: (19 Feb 2025). @sngo1982 and I took bus no. 36 to #Beppu Ropeway up Mount Tsurumi. -5°C it was and it had ice snow. Tallest view yet. Sadly, Kijima Kogen Park was closed. Lucky, Beppu Park had Sakura trees already flowering. Pretty! 

Day 14: (20 Feb 2025). @sngo1982 and I took a local train from Oita to #Yufuin. So much street vendor food! Many tourist focused stores plus a few local stores. We got to pet owls and cats (paid exp)! I love cardboard cut outs and roof top views. The foot hot spring (spa) cafe was lovely. The lake was okay. Good day out. 

Day 15: (21 Feb 2025). @sngo1982 and I went in search of stone carved Buddha(s) in #Oita and they were interesting, many of them were damaged. IC card were accepted on buses here. 1 under cover passage shopping mall. Murals. BBQ meat for dinner w private room. 

Day 16: (22 Feb 2025). x2 successful transfer. Third was cancelled due to flying object obstruct Haruka Ltd Exp train. Ugh. @sngo1982 and I took the limousine bus to hotel. Food, food, food kept us entertained. #Osaka 

The hotel may have been on a flat surface. The little hill to the train station was somewhat a challenge to push a 20 kg suitcase full of lollies. Luckily, I repaired my leg and arm last night with onsen session followed by ointment. 

The Sonic 8 train leaving Beppu had more leg room than the Sonic 28 train coming into Beppu. How odd! Anyways, this one had wooden floor boards. How posh. We get to see the sun rise brightly above us as the train sweeps by the towns in between stops. 

Here comes the x3 transfers. Last leg of the trip. Then it is back home. 

Day 17: (23 Feb 2025). It’s the last day for retail, food, and art in Japan. Plus it’s our last TeamLab session too. In Botanical Garden #Osaka(Nagai subway stn). Best viewed at right after sunset. We saw repeat themes from previous TeamLabs’ Planet (Shin-Toyosu via Shimsaibashi) and digital art in Mori building.

Sis thought adding another 1000 yen would fix her IC card. When the machine states she has forgotten to tap off at a subway station gate during the day. She didn’t check for lights and walked through the gates and didn’t check if the gate registered her card. It usually displays your remaining credit when you have officially tapped off. She was too lazy to look and was too focused on her social media posts yet again. Idiot. 

We did a rally from Namba to Nara to Tennoji using mix of JR Pass and IC Card. 

Day 18: (24 Feb 2025)

Watched movies on aeroplane

Kraven
Substance
Here 

Oh. The movie Substance was intense, crazy, and wild. Beauty can be intoxicating. One can be too carried away with it. Trying to remain beautiful forever and appeal to people’s eyes is an exhausting routine. Also, not respecting the balance of a system will result in failure. 

Heretic
Twisted games. Host likes to talk a lot. 
Somehow host doesn’t seem to make sense. Why keep so many ladies in cages. Feels sexist. 

The Apprentice
Poor Roy Cohn. Died without getting paid. 

Overall, this trip we learnt many of our favourite shops have permanently closed. Especially in the major cities. All them pop up themed cafes now require telephone reservation. Plus restaurants and cafes we used to frequent as well. Only a handful was kind enough to allow us in without reservation. 

Also, we should book to major activities in one day or second last day of our trip. 

Note: 7GB from Airalo eSIM will suffice our trip. Plus it allows you to turn on hot spot for Arthur. Meanwhile, Klook eSIM does not. Also, Klook data is quickly consumed by Google map app. 

Sis was annoyed by a crying baby behind us from Singapore in our transfer flight.  

January 2024

I get that grey skies make for a gloomy day. However, that does not mean we give up working on projects. Projects mean something to someone somewhere. It will bear fruit if you just put in the effort. No what people say. People seem to always have a perspective, they wish to share, which is fine, but do not go asserting them badly and destroying people's project goals. 

Such as when mom wanted to throw out the burn slices of white peaches. I said I can save them and I asked her kindly to set them aside. Sure, mistakes in cooking can happen, but try to understand the vision of the dish being put together. before binning someone's effort. Gosh. I just had remind her that we not rich and we cannot indulge in food waste, as we would only be poorer. Besides I did manage to save 75% of flesh for each piece. I am good at salvaging food from becoming trash unnecessarily. Sis and Bro found the peaches added a touch of sour and sweetness to the pork mince in our tacos. Everyone finished their small bowl of taco meat with ease. Phew. New Year Eve meal solved!

PoGo

No hundo gained from this Christmas event.

Work

I was lucky to given the week off.

Dating

It seems to be on a pause at the moment. Well, I am no hot AI lady. Just a human full of flaws.

December 2023

More and more companies are pushing us onto fickle products. Worst is they want domestic products to connect to the Internet. I don't find internet of things particularly useful when people can spy on you. From internet connected televisions to home pods, and do not forget security cameras. Much of these devices cannot protect you from online thugs. My family and I have enjoyed many years of living without internet of things in our household. Less fuss, less stress, sleep better. Anything that causes us grief will be met with cancel culture.

PoGo 

Repeat hundo and repeat shinies so far. The RNG gods of PoGo does not seem to have much Christmas cheer with my account. Sad.

Work

Many staff are feeling burnt out. I find management like to create obstacles for themselves. These obstacles from the media stand point make great stories, as they look pretty from the outside, but on the inside it is creating poison for staff mental and physical health. 

The use of the spaces should not have such a great of an impact on work flows as it does now and quite possibly over the next 3 years.

The work place is not great at generating income to sustain itself without polluting itself. I feel they still need to copy existing bench marks and modify a business model that works for them.

Dating

Nothing but scammers and fake profiles online. People in-person are not asking me out. Everyone seem to be shy on all fronts.

===============

Healesville staycation

Oh my gosh, did we see lots of parrots and kangaroos. It was lushes. Though heaps of flies about. The most sweetest yummo food was the gingerbread cookie from the Gewürzhaus Spice House. The cheese jalapeño bagel from Cheese monger Sophie store was by far the most savoury, crunch on the outside, soft on the inside, and overall delicious. The alcohol wise the family voted on Innocent Bystander's pink moscato. I do not mind another serving of the Four Pillar shiraz gin with a slice of lemon and soda.

The Maroondah Dam Wall

Reachable by bus 685. Quite a big park. Slopes. Poor cellular reception. Plenty of parrots. One tried to attack my eyes then later it would use its beak to lean on my hand. Strange. There were some waterfall structure by the dam wall. I am guessing it will only go into action when there is an overflow.

Healesville Sanctuary

Reachable by bus 685. The talks are good. The bird show is the best in the world. The nocturnal exhibit was pretty well designed I must say (for the animals), not visitors with poor eye sight. The playful creek area was nice respite from the heat. They are open to you bringing your own food. Only one big cafe and a small coffee take away.

Tarrawarra museum of art

Reachable by bus 685. However, it might take an hour to catch another bus out to Lilydale or Healesville.

No bench. Slopes. Wine tasting available for a fee. Good art on display. Thought provoking materials. No casual food store.

Warratina lavender farm

Reachable by bus 685 then transfer to 683 then walk for 30 mins. It seems tourist activities was an afterthought at this site. They have this bundle called $15 consist of a charge to take photographs in the garden, a small cup of lavender ice cream (rrp. $4), and a talk (which is not a given, you have to find the owner and request). There were 3 kinds of lavender found on this site: intermedia, munstead, and the darkest one was Egerton Blue (angustifolia lavender). The essential oil really did kill the mosquito bite itches.

Yava gallery and art hub Healesville

Reachable by bus 685. On the main street and in the town centre. Amazing staircase art. Very friendly staff. Amazing collection of work on display. We saw The Water stories. Lots of recycled material turned into beautiful works of art. They would look amazing in anyone's home.

Hearth galleries

Reachable by bus 685. On the main street and in the town centre. Hand made crafts. Possum ball of fluff for your sofa. Lush. The Christmas hand made ornaments were adorable. Plenty of indigenous works of art here.

Overall, Sis and I will come back for more delightful experiences.

November 2023

Back in Oz. I miss all my basics. I never knew how much different other cities are compared to ours. We have toilets in some of our train stations. I feel sad for people with mobility issues and incontinence. Canada major cities could do with re-work or an overhaul.

October 2023

Oh gosh is it windy! My hayfever is totally not liking it. I will do my best to endure but it has been difficult to sit still without a bit of dribble. Ugh. So embarrassing.

Work

I'm learning people only want to do the minimal and get a quick win. Which is good, but you gottta think of the problems that would arise in the long run.

PoGo

I finally have a hundo Hitmontop. Dang! We did it. Painfully.

Dating

Dead silent. Nothing but fake accounts from China always asking how's your day at 6am and how's your weekend on Friday. Yet the will not talk about anything else. Snooze.

====================

CANADA! The trip of a life time.

Montreal

Quebec

Toronto

Vancouver

Victoria

Whistler

!=== 9th October 2023 🦄

 

The aeroplane was late to take off at the Melbourne airport. This meant we arrived late for our transfer in Auckland, and yes, there was another round of security checks. Ugh. The transfer board next to the transfer security queue had information that would make you panic. It stated the gate was open when in fact it actually had not opened. Geez. Sis and I pushed through the queue thinking our flight was about to leave soon. Sheesh. After the mad dash and catching our breath, we found seats to rest our legs.

I did watch several movies on Air New Zealand.

No hard feelings
The bogey man
Teenage mutant ninja turtle
The book club gang
Hypnotic

 

The 12-hour flight was the most painful section of our flight. Sure put pressure on our leg and back. I kept dozing off but did not get proper sleep despite I had my Kmart neck pillow.

Vancouver International Airport was HUGE. All of it interiors and all over the place was some sort of green. The air was a bit stuffy too. Quite humid. They had charging ports on the floor. BYO adapter.

The Starbucks staff were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of visitors descending into the airport. We lined up for the queue, but we had to ditch it as we had to get to our gate before any issues occurred.

At the boarding gate, the Air Canada staff sounded an alarm that we had checked baggage. Ugh. Yes. We do. We are transferring. We were ushered to another boarding staff, who did some tapping on the screen and we were good to go to board the airplane.

It was a BYO food and drink kind of ride. On board, I tried to re-watched some of the movies I had only watched halfway. Ha. I dozed off again.

 

!=== 10th October 2023 🦄

We arrived pretty late after midnight. All our luggage was with us. We headed to a self-service machine to buy our Opus smart card. No problems there.

The air was crisp cold as stepped outside to find our bus. The bus 747 was slow to swing by the Montreal airport. Several people waited longer than us and some gave up and hopped into a taxi. A taxi car would swing by the bus stop frequently to see who would give up waiting for the bus. We stuck by our guns and boarded it at 1:57am. Oof.

We fell asleep as soon as we plugged in our devices. We did not go to the spa in Old Montreal. Too tired. Too cold.

Jean-Talon market was medium in size. It had some gluten-free food on offer. I had macron, canelé, and buckwheat crepes. I bought a box of mixed coloured carrots. Yummy. Sis got maple candy and a maple leaf-shaped glass bottle with maple syrup. Several French Boulanger nearby but no good for gluten intolerant folks. In one, we found blue cheese sausages that don’t require refrigeration. Yay! Travel food. Sis could not resist the pumpkin-faced shortbreads. They chipped easily in the bag. Ha.

Montreal has a few old and small shopping malls. Les Cours Mount Royal was one of them. Much of it was under renovation. The surprise was the Barbie Expo. So pretty. They had a selfie corner. Which Sis loved.

Chinatown was relatively small-ish filled with bubble tea shops, steam bun shops, and buffets. A few murals here and there. There were a few Asian grocery stores and as I recall some in Jean-Talon market too.

Montreal downtown is long. Saint Catherine is a long stretch of road. We went looking for Zenzaimai and it gave us bowel problems. We went in search of the toilet and found Dollarama. Needless to say, Sis fell in love with Dollarama.

Sis came across an anime sculpture-filled restaurant and it only served buffet. CAD$39 pp. Sis didn’t feel like eating that much food. We left it.

Settled for a Mexican restaurant on the same street with three giant sombre hats. Sis had a taco set meal. It came with rice and salad. CAD$15.40. I had buffalo wings. CAD$11.95

!=== 11th October 2023 🦄

Sis was obsessed with Dollarama, especially its Love Heart Canada t-shirts and blames me for not buying it. Ugh! Lame.

Jardin Botanique de Montreal costs CAD$22 pp. We hung outside the garden, we saw a squirrel or two and chased them around. The display of pumpkins outside had no carving art and Sis was disappointed by it. All the more she did not want to go in. We just browsed through the gift shop.

The surprise find was Parc Olympique. We posed on the podium in front of the rings.

Parcs San Gluten bakery staff sold us dodgy food. The staff said the triangle pastry was pork and the crescent-shaped one was beef. Instead, it ended up being a blueberry triangle and the crescent one was spinach and chicken. Ugh. Also, at the counter, the staff wouldn’t accept credit cards when we were about to pay, but he allowed the old French Canadian lady to pay by credit card. Talk about rude!

The walking tour was great. We learnt a lot from Darren. Luckily I didn’t take Sis down Old Montreal. So hilly for one and expensive.

Montreal is huge. Nearly everyone there spoke mainly French. You don’t hear any other language spoken on the street. Not quite multicultural in that aspect. Yet amazing how they maintained the French Canadian language for this long.

We went to Best Buy for a Canadian wall power plug and it was okay priced. Sis got angry and went looking for a bench outside. She was upset about how she could not go into a church to see it light up. I said there was not enough time. We are only here for a short time. We need adapters for the 4-day train trip.

Time Out shopping mall had a huge food court and it had a small section for arcade machines. Young and old enjoyed having such treats at the food court. Sis was in a foul mood. Until she bought some Halloween chocolates in trick or treat bag from Jeff chocolates. Took pics around Meutas via the dias sugar skull display.

The Notre Dame did not light up much on the outside as much as the YouTubers say it did. Just some blue light. Ugh.

We took bus 55 to Saint Viator bagels and boy, they were rock-hard bagels. Sis ordered two plain, but we ended up with 3 plain. Canadian being rude continues. Sis took a bite and did not touch them again. Ugh. I ate my blueberry one. It tasted like sultanas. I would not recommend the place. We could have busted Fairmont bagels but Sis was tired by this point.

She is not used to being awake from morning to evening. She usually sleeps in until 3pm and watches streamers online until midnight.

 

!=== 12th October 2023 🦄

The IGA sold ridiculously long lightning cables for iPhones. We bought some for our folks. I got myself a tandoori chicken wrap. Sis got a plain chicken wrap and only ate half then binned it. What a waste of food.

When we got to the coach terminal, we saw people already lining up to check in for our coach. There were two coaches. Popular. We boarded the second one. Sainte-Foy coach terminal did not offer Opus card top by counter or machine. Ugh. We had to find a taxi.

The taxi drivers REPEATEDLY asked was the hotel address correct. I booked the hotel so I should know. Why would EXPEDIA give me a false address? Come on mate. Dude really didn’t think females had brains. Nuts I tell ya. Canadian being rude continues.

Poutineville in Vieux Quebec staff said they were closed at 8pm but Google has them listed as closing at 9pm. Sis couldn’t stop her wailing about having nowhere to go to eat. More like she was afraid to walk any further. Plus she didn’t wear clothes suitable for winter. Ripped jeans. Really. Even if I had corrected the staff at Poutineville we won’t be served either way. Canadian being rude continues.

We ended up in fine dining BO. CAD 178 worth of Asian fusion food later she felt better. Ugh.

After 10am the buses are slow in the suburbs. There are no trains in the city or in the suburbs. Everyone drives a car here. Also, many would avoid the city centre as it is just a historical centre now. No real need to be there. It serves no function in people's daily lives.

 

!=== 13th October 2023 🦄

Bus 800 to Montmorency Falls was flawless. It delivered us to our destination right. There we paid CAD$8.70 for the entry fee to the parc. Walked along the black bridge to the zipliner station but it was closed for the season. We proceed to the 453 stairs along the cliff face. The view was magnificent. The rushing waters were strong. You can feel the water spraying against your face.

When we reached the bottom Sis didn’t want to walk any loser to the waterfall base. I took my GoPro and proceeded to get close and got sprayed with water and in the eye. Oof. So strong! The GoPro and I were not able to get a great shot. My eyes were heavily soaked.

My jacket managed to dry off before reaching the cable car station. Hooray for Kathmandu! However, Sis was not happy about the piss-poor food options at the snack bar. I told her to buy whatever she liked. However, I can’t eat any as none of them were gluten-free.

She became a little cheerful when she purchased some souvenirs. Then sad again when the staff went for a toilet break from the cable car ticket desk. I said wait and I’ll buy us cable car tickets. When it got up to the mansion the restaurant was closed and no food found any where. Sis was upset yet again. October is the beginning of closed season in Canada and much of their tourist hots spots were closed for service. She was unaware of that as she never research despite she has two enable Internet smartphones.

When we caught the bus back to the city centre and transferred buses. We queue up at the spa but it was full and we were told to go on a wait list. How long they did not say. Sis was growling hungry-angry by this point.

She did not want to eat at the bistro on-site. There was no waiting room on-site or nearby. It was 6pm by the time reached the counter only to be put on a waiting list.

Bus number 1 ended by the time it was 9pm. We had to walk up 453 steps from Old Quebec to Parc de Abraham to get to the green bus 807.

After exiting the parc, and passing a musee, we came across a lit-up Parliament House. Outside the windows were bronze sculptures of significant founders of Quebec. A few other people joined us in taking pics of the old building. Cool. What an unexpected find.

 

!=== 14th October 2023 🦄

The green RTC buses are the fastest in the Quebec metro area. The blue buses are pretty decent but they are infrequent and they finish early.

The New Grand Market (Le Grande Marche) was awesome. They had colourful fresh produce and food that was made on the spot or reheated on the spot. Sis had a slice of pizza and bacon cheese sausage. I had a German sausage. Fresh blueberry juice was a bit sour. Canelé was okay.

The second floor had an event called Festival de Maggie de Quebec. We saw staff dressed as witches, ornaments and decorations, there were boards with stories, live story telling, games, ouija boards, masks, hats, face painting, and books with scary fiction tales. It was magical alright. 

After two transfers from the Marche to the huge mall bus terminal to the Musee Huron-Wendat area, a brown rag doll cat came to greet us in the middle of the street. So cute!

The lobby of the hotel was beautiful. Luxurious looking. There were animal furs with heads intact on either side of the sofa.

After visiting Musee Huron-Wendy’s exhibition. We headed what was directions for the gift store but it was closed and so was the cafe. People were confused by what was there to see or do. Sis and I made our own fun by exploring the trail by the river. We took our boots off to dip our feet in the cold river. Our feet felt refreshed.

The river was cold but it felt good to slip my feet into it. Ah. So refreshing. The rapids were powerful. Sis and I sat on a rock dipping our feet in and out of the freezing but refreshing water.

The hotel staff at the counter ignored us. Served four old French Canadian ladies before greeting me. Sis wants a beaded turtle brooch. Canadian being rude continues. The question remains how authentic was this Musee as it was completely staffed by Anglo-Saxon French Canadians.

We took a stroll into the long room. There we saw REAL animal fur. A fire on a log. I guess, that’s where they would tell stories.

Nearby the bus stop was a few small souvenir shops. Many nice things in there and we were served by a real native. Skilled in several languages. Items were not as overpriced as the Musee/hotel. You can see there is some sort of class system going on here in Canada.

We took the bus back to the Galaries de Captole. They went to Dollarama again. Sis was not able to find her red t-shirt with a maple leaf on it.

Then we went to check out Simon's department store. They had NorthFace at lower prices than Australia. I got myself an autumn coloured bum bag and a recycled metal trio flower ring. There were luxurious gloves too. Sadly, I need fingerless gloves. They had none. Meanwhile, Sis went off looking for a black bikini top. My French is at tourist level best and I was able to make out some of the words on the label. It felt like I was in Myer but only with one floor level worth of stuff.

Dinner at Chez Viator was so-so. The duck poutine was delicious but I got bowel problems when I got home. Sis had fried gnocchi in BBQ sauce. Lol. She said it was salty and the cheese curd was hard.

We walked home on the main road. There we found a 24-hour diner called Royal. The Jean-Cu pharmacy was still open until 9pm. Sis went in search of more souvenirs. I found a 15x zoom mirror. Omg. I can see my pores. I just had to buy it and clean my face. I felt hairy. What a find. Good travel ware. Also, the pharmacy is great for topping up your Opus card too. Great service. Top notch.

 

!=== 16th October 2023 🦄

The hotel kindly arranged a taxi to drive us to Jean Lesange International Airport. The staff at guest services for Air Canada warned us that our aeroplane was late and that we may not make it to the next flight. However, Air Canada will put us on the next earliest flight upon arrival. She told us to try and make the transfer.

Silly me I forgot to empty my water bottle and it was taken away from me at the security check.

The aeroplane was slow and people on board would not allow those who had tight connecting flights to alight first. They all stood up despite the crew mentioning it over PA several times.

 While we waited for the plane to make its way to a gate. I checked my emails. According to my email, Air Canada had instantly moved us to the next available flight. We had about an hour or so to rest our souls. Phew! Gosh, it was a skinny plane. Air Canada Express! The overhead lockers cannot fit carry-on bags with wheels. People had to leave their wheelie bags aside and Porter plane would carry their bags to our destination. The Porter plane flew not far behind us.

Overall, we didn’t have to manually re-book another flight ourselves. This is a pretty good service. It goes to the same airport at least. Save on taxi fares! Sis and I lined up for a new boarding pass for ease of passage.

Sis and I had lunch at Pork and Pickles restaurant at the Montreal Airport. It was yummy. We had buffalo wings and fried pierogi with pork and bacon crisps. Sis had pickles on the side.

Sis and I were appointed separate seats on the 3:30pm flight. Many people were just like us got shuffled on board this flight as well. On board the express plane they gave us complimentary snacks and water. Noice.

Upon arrival at Toronto Billy Bishop Airport. We waited for a taxi. Once we got in we gave him a prepayment of CAD$35 ahead of time, as the traffic jam was bad, and if we let the meter run it would cost a lot more.

When we reached our hotel, we couldn’t make it to our 7pm Zombie Apocalypse session. Instead, we made it to the Legends of Horror session. Oh well. Forfeit a ticket. Sis wanted to dress up before we left our hotel room.

The Casa Loma put up a good show alright. Plenty of animatronics and projection lighting. The most amazing part was it took us through an underground tunnel to the stables. Se ended up in a totally different section and exited in another street. Hee hee.

We had Japanese food for dinner across the street from our hotel.

Note: for a domestic flight in Canada you need to:

a) present your boarding pass at security check and they’ll scan it.
b) at the boarding gate you need to present a photo ID with your boarding pass.

 

!=== 17th October 2023

 Mel our tour guide for the Niagara Falls day the tour guide handed us maple cream cookies.

 Our first stop was the floral clock. We hopped off and quickly took snaps. Followed by maple syrup tasting at a tourist pit stop. Omg! Golden, amber, and dark maple syrup are not the same. They actually have depth in taste. The chocolate and fudge tasting were delicious too. However, our time here was short, so, we stopped tasting and proceeded to the toilet and look at souvenirs.

Skylon Tower sure has the best view of the falls. The Hornblower City cruise was a good starter for the in-person experience of the fall up close. We saw people doing the tunnel walk. However, that’s with another tour company. People were walking down some stairs by the cliffs near the falls. Sis didn’t feel like crossing over a bridge.

The day trip to Niagara Falls is what dreams are made of. It was gigantic in size. Multiple waterfalls. Plenty of activities around it.

Sis didn’t want to play mini golf or pose any more in front of the falls. She only wanted to post stuff on her Facebook. Ugh.

Once we got back to Toronto we hopped on a tram to find an angel above the exhibition gate. Then tools tram to three Dollarama. Farm Boy grocery store isn’t bad. We purchased breakfast food there. For dinner, we had pub food at Pone Mahone.

 

!=== 18th October 2023 🚂

We are about to board the cross-country scenic train!!!

We checked in our luggage at the VIA Rail counter.

Then headed to the business lounge to have hot chocolate. At 8am Meranda checked us in. Colleagues: Michael, and Josh. Dining reservation is organised with Kelly who handed us a card for lunch and dinner. At each breakfast session, we will get another dining card. We are in dining cart A.

Sleeping in Carriage 110. 10L.

Bunk beds.

The dome carriage is nice for a train built in 1950. Not many modern electrical power outlets for everyday users. Those who have booked an AUD$ 6,000 room will get access to a direct power let. Everyone else who booked a bunker will have to charge their device in a washroom. The dining carriage is by far the best-looking carriage of them all. The dome windows are streaky. Adds a level of grey to your images. Regardless of which class you view it through.

When I was able to find a non-streaky window a Latino staff wanted the room to himself so that he could charge his device. He said the room was occupied and that I couldn’t sit there. La Lame. It was not booked for anyone. La Liar!

Anyhow I got my non-streaky images and videos with sunlight beaming through, so there! Ha!

The first part of the trip is done. Just need the Rockies and I can stop filming totally. We have rural areas in Australia too. It ain’t new to anyone.

The dining crew was the sweetest. Kelly, Josh, Bernadette. Melissa our activity officer was super helpful.

 

!=== 19th October 2023 🚂

Eat eat eat sleep
Do puzzle

Sample beer
Not much to the day.

I mean you can talk to people but they have their clicks (closed groups). Besides they have preferred topics of choice and if you don’t match theirs you aren’t of interest to them. Simple as that. I’m not sensitive by that act as Sis is. I’m more like let know if you need me and I might help you but it is not given. Ha. Relaxing is my goal and looking at trees and not talking to people is the way to go.

!=== 20th October 2023 🚂

Sis hates dome talk. I enjoy dome talk. The point of this journey is to learn about the area as quick and briefly as you can without stopping by overnight. Meg did a great job. As Melissa on the first day. It can be hard to get a seat in the dome cars. Highly competitive.

We tried a game of bingo. They’re styles to aim for and not just a straight line. First, it was a letter X, second it was a stamp (I won and my sister says I didn’t but Meg the host goes I qualify as you only need a square of four in a corner - Ha). Some people don’t understand what parameters mean. Other patrons didn’t either. Uh. The postage stamp is a very small square. Where have you been people! Another lady also played bingo in that case. The last pattern was a picture frame recommended by an elderly gentleman. Karen won it on her third board.

Sis says she does care for prizes. It is about that, in the world of law knowing what your parameters are and operating within them successfully. Besides law and games have rules. In the end, I’m a winner out of 3 games. So take that! A few more digits and I could be won in all 3 games. Hee Hee. Close but no cigar. 

The canapés were great. All are served on brown bread. Salmon pate. Beef pate. Zucchini paste. There were some vegetarian options too. The second sitting was late again. Instead of going up and down and taking a peak. We decided to sit and eat canapés until the staff came to activity 2 carriage and yelled out our dinner sitting.

 

!=== 21st October 2023 🚂

I waited for the sun to rise over the trees in the dome car since 5:45am. I saw nothing as it was cloudy. Dang it!

We did stop at Jasper for an hour. Sis and a few others got off the train earlier than me. I dozed off in the dome car you see.

When I heard the announcement over the PA it stated you needed a boarding pass before you can come back on the train. I quickly got dressed and went in search of my sister. I told her to message me before you do such things. Otherwise, you can’t get back on the train. I had access to our electronic copies and paper version of the boarding pass.

 

Sis and I ran around taking photographs and rummaging through open gift stores. Most of the stores were closed. Jasper is a mountain base town. Poor design of a mascot. Plenty of snow-capped mountain views and wooden cabins here. They even have a dark sky festival. Umm. 

On board the train they have brunch offerings. The few who boarded a day ago lost track of time and missed out on brekkie and brunch. Canapés and mimosas as a farewell in activity room number 2. Sis and I stayed here doing puzzles and taking photographs of the Rockies and Frazer River. Which was blue-green from the limestones nearby.

I attended one more dome car talk about the Rockies, Fraser River, and Thompson River.

By the time it is time for dinner. Sis and I failed to complete the train rail puzzle.

!=== 22nd October 2023 🚂

We had our last meal, our last breakfast on The Canadian. Sis and I were seated with French besties. Who is travelling throughout Canada together? One of them managed to tag along with her younger brother on a trip. They only planned as far as this train ride and will wing it for the rest of the trip. Sweet.

We took photographs with Carrie and William our roommates before grabbing our bags to alight the train. The Pacific Center train station was packed with people. Easy to navigate. We will be returning here several times throughout our trip on the west side.

After dropping the bags off at our hotel. We went to Waterfront and Gastown. The steam clock was the best thing there, but no, the Ukraine pierogi restaurant was the highlight of the day. I drank a warm Uzvar (apple and pear mocktail). Tastes like apple crumble. I loved my stuffed mushroom cabbage roll.

Gastown has lots of dog poo, homeless people, drugged and drunk people hanging about. Also, no easy public accessible toilet for families or the disabled. The train station here has no toilet as well. I walked all the way to the Pan Pacific centre to find a working toilet. Sis and I went around to every Dollarama in Downtown near Granville St.

For dinner, we went Delivous Pho. Walked around Yaletown. Then caught bus 6 back YMCA Hotel.

 

!=== 23rd October 2023

Vancouver Public Library - central branch

They have Zoom text and Jaws on adjustable tables from the second floor to the sixth floor. One ClearView magnifying machine and one manual magnifying lamp. The tables are not obvious and that you’d need to seek staff assistance. The children's books were on the basement floor. Plenty of fiction in LOTE. The rooftop garden was awesome. I felt like I was in Rome. The balcony design was curvaceous and tall. Beautiful.

Granville Island. Lots of eat at The Market. Lots of see. Artistic creations and craft beers to be had. Curated gardens. Riverwalk trails. They had a warehouse dedicated to children. We caught a bus to Park Royal Mall. Checked out Simons. Nothing suitable for bro. We had dinner at The Keg. Nice restaurant. Great for outer suburban folks to come and meet up. Paid parking though.

 

!=== 24th October 2023 🛳️

Victoria. Rain Downtown. Nobody sold us daily passes or smart cards Umo. I only managed to buy a sheet of 10 tickets. Each bus transfer costs you another paper ticket.

Tacos for dinner.

Mini golf.

hang out in Dollarama to avoid the rain.

 

!=== 25th October 2023

 Victoria. Whale watching tour with Orca Spirit Adventures company on zodiac ship. Closer to the waters kind of boat. I got sprayed on by the ocean water. So salty. We saw 3 whale tails, 1 teenager whale fin, 1 bald eagle, several seals and blackbirds. Plus several boat houses. Watch a seaplane land in the bay.

The visitor sold us the Umo smart card. Yay! Walked along the bay to Parliament House and went in for a free tour. Sis eyed the gift store. The stained glass windows were the highlights of the space.

We had high tea at the Fairmount Empress. The rooms were beautiful.

We caught bus no. 2 to Breakwater Walk and watched the sunset. We came back to take pictures of the lit-up Parliament House before going home.

 

!=== 26th October 2023

Victoria. Butchart Gardens. Pretty. At the coffee shop, we bumped into Kerry and her friends. They were still in Victoria. They have come to the garden early. Ah. Sis likes to wake up late. Sis was dissatisfied that the garden lacked originality. Using foreign plants. Then she fell in love with the rose carousel and fountain. The sun's shine warmed us up. The gift shop had some nice things.

Carousel fun. Sis was peeved she did not take enouch selfies (pics).

There isn’t much for interaction. Many people come here for high tea and concert by the lawn. We got on the bus and tried to make it to the castle in time but alas it closed at 5pm.

Near Bastion Square were some unique shops. Munro bookstore and Murichie tea shop. We got there before it closed. Sadly, Sis doesn’t understand shops don’t open until 9pm just because you want them to. These shops only operate during daylight. I told her you gotta sleep in less and be out there at 9am to get to all these places. They open at 9am and close at 5pm.

We are at Earls near Bastion Square as Sis hates budget food. They are beneath her. Ugh. My wallet is hurting.

 

!=== 27th October 2023 🏔️

 Whistler.

The coach arrived late. The view was beautiful from the coach as we approached Squamish. You can see the snow caps. The footpath to our hotel was not direct. Not far. But when you are pushing a heavy suitcase up a hill it is challenging. 

I managed to find an elevator that would take you to the next level of the street. It took a bit of digging and I got there. Our room had a fireplace, a small balcony, and a bathtub (which Sis never used, too busy watching Twitch streams).

We had dinner at Mexican Corner. She said the tacos were too soft. Oh wells.

We checked out a few gift stores but they were closing soon. There was a grocery store open. Sis purchased some thick socks with a PAC Man's design.

 

!=== 28th October 2023 🏔️

 

Zip-line time! With Zeek and Emily. While hanging off the cable the view of the mountain and the creek was amazing. These trees holding us up were strong. We saw one squirrel with a white line down it had grey fur. We saw some bear claws against trees. The zip-line zig-zag between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain.

We had lunch at D-inn Gate. The meal was charged back to the hotel who gave us $90 credit to use over the time of our stay for breakfast. All because The Raven room was being renovated for winter. Service was slow.

Ka-Ze doesn’t do email booking and the Westin concierge doesn’t take booking. Ka-ze doesn’t open until 5:30pm. We were advised to do a walk-in. The visitor centre advised us to take a taxi to the Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre or walk. Sis has a bad knee. We were sold a sheet of 10 paper tickets for bus use.

We walked over to the Olympic Plaza in the north village and took a stroll through the Audain Art Gallery.

 

!=== 29th October 2023 🏔️

Trying 10am brekkie. Took forever. There was a free shuttle bus between the mountains. Which the staff at the visitor Center failed to mention. It could have saved us money.

The Squamish Lilwat cultural centre has locals as staff. Totem and canoe were a highlight. Artwork by artists was mentioned. I learned Bill Reid did most of the graphic and sculpture artwork we see around Vancouver.

  

!=== 30th October 2023 🏔️

Time to leave the mountain for the city.

We ate food we brought from the supermarket the night before for our breakfast in our room. Sis wanted to buy one more icon patch. We are running low on Canadian cash. I said no. I need to reserve my energy for the coach ride. Sis got upset.

I just sat by the fireplace and rested my head on the ottoman. Such luxury is wasted on mutters. This room has so many luxurious options.

The coach Skylynx had already arrived at the Visitor Centre. Luckily, we did not dine at D Inn Gate, otherwise, we would have been late. The views from the coach on the way back to Vancouver were gorgeous. The Sea to the Sky ride would have come by this highway.

Richmond

T&T supermarket sold the cheapest bubble tea drink and no cream. Aberdeen Centre was like Paramount Centre. Not huge at all. Landsdowne Centre has the budget stores. Sis had Japadog via their drive-through van. She felt sick later on. CF Richmond Centre has the posh stores. Bus 403 and 410 run on 3rd Street.

We had fun rummaging through the malls.

 

!== 31st October 2023

 

VanDusen botanical garden

Beautiful

Lovely cafe

Good salad

 

Queen Elizabeth Park

Hilly but a sweet view of the city and the mountain.

The Bloedel conservatory had McGraw birds and a pheasant.

 

Bear Creek

Not well labelled.

We managed to find the train and mini golf place. It doesn’t open until 6:30pm.

Sis failed to go to the washroom when we were at the mall. This park only has portable toilet stands littered across the park.

We saw squirrels.

 

Jollibee had great fried chicken and the mash was good. A patron dressed as the mascot. Lol.

 

!== 1st November 2023

 

Stanley Park is HUGE!

Geese

Totem poles. Quite the sight. Each one tells a different story.

Vancouver aquarium. Cafe had staff that did not recall what was on their menu and I had to take a photograph of the menu on the board.

Sea otters

Sea lions

 

They have to close the aquarium early today due to a private event. Everyone was sad about it. You can hear the children whine at their parents that is so unfair I was not done looking at the animals.

 

Sis sussed out Walmart and the Canadian Superstore. We did not purchase anything in the Walmart store. However, we went ham in the Canadian Superstore. Chipotle - Mexican grill for dinner. Pretty delicious.

 

 

!== 2nd November 2023

 

One last time at Granville Island.

CF Richmond Centre

Hang out in the hotel lobby.

 

We had hot food at the Thai Hang stall.

 

Chocolate lava cake at The Lift (restaurant).

 

Our flight was delayed.

We did get to board the plane while they sorted out baggage issues.

 

 

I watched the movie 64, a French film of misfits led by a priest off to build a platform in the lake in Quebec, and forgot to watch Flash's latest movie.