Wednesday:

A two hour train journey this morning gets us to Nikko. Nikko is designated a national park and there are lots of elaborate temples and woodland. There is definately too much to see here in one day. We found a path that lead us up the mountain side, it was very quiet and we felt compelled to walk up there. Part way up there was a strange, small and padlocked door at the side of the path but we couldnt work out what it was for. At the top was a shrine with some headless buddahs outside of it, we assume the heads had worn away with age. On our return journey to Tokyo we sat in the train station watching a thunder storm whilst waiting for a train, I can't say I enjoyed this.

Tuesday:
We tried to go to Nikko on the shinkansen but sort of got lost and where not sure which train to be on, we will try this again tomorrow. Instead we went to Kamakura, we saw another temple then went for a long walt to see a big bronse buddah statue. I sat at the tourist shops while Jo made the last 30 metres or so to climb up inside it. Afterwards we wander around all the shops and have a few ice creams, it was very hot!

Sunday:
We went to a couple of parks in shinjuku, the first one was the wrong one so we had a little wander arround, at the enterance there where people sitting on mats selling things, a bit like a car boot sale without the cars and boots. There where homeless people living in this park in a small settlement at one end of it. The path we should have taken was accross the other side of Shinjuku so we mad our way there. There was hundreds of thousands of people at the enterance. As you arrive you are cordoned off with a rope then the rope is dropped to allow a few hundred people through to the ticket machines and then through the turnstyles. We had a small picknic here and a walk around. Later we went to the Ginza district where all the major shops have a department store, it is very big. Jo tells me later we will have to return there as we missed the Sony centre.

Saturday:
Jo is hard to motivate this morning and we need to vacate by 10 and its on to another long train journey. We should have eaten before starting. We arrive in Tokyo at about 12:30, the tourist information kiosk at the train station had given us a list of places to call. Jo soon tired of phoning places and getting a poor response so after much wandering we are directed to the JTO who managed to find us accomodation for the remainder of our stay. For the next few nights we will be in the Lutheran Ichigaya Centre. We have real beds, much to Joes dissapointment, and the usuall shared wash/toilet facilities. After check in we went for a walk and found a japanese place to eat, I had chicken carlilige on a stick. It was good to speak to Sara and Melissa while I was looking for a coffee.

Friday:
(I am determined to finish writing up my holiday notes, sorry this has taken a while for those who had read the earlier posts.)
We paid for an extra night in kyoto and decided to go for a walk in the other direction, after a mile or so Jo noticed the sign for Niji Castle so we head in that direction with a minor detour down a dimly lit stall infested covered street.. Niji Castle is surrounded by a moat and we made our way to the enterance. Once insidethere ar two palaces surrounded by beautiful gardens which are very well kept; I think all the trees have thier leaves trimmed like bonzai. The second palace has its own moat arround it with koi swimming in the shade of the bridge. Before we leave here Jo has green tea ice cream. The afternoon finds us taking a long slow walk, through the shopping area, back towards our final night in this ryokan.

Ha Yad - The Hand

In the middle of so much pain and sadness how can there be so much joy? I was thinking about this recently while watching closely the non-event of the jewish holiday Tisha B'av, this is the day when both temples where destroyed as well as other significant painfull events in Jewish history occured. This day of remembrance is the culmination of weeks of deepening saddness, a pit of darkness where it seems that no light can shine. And yet it does, less than a week later is one of the happiest festivals of Tu B'av. This is living picture of hope for individuals and whole communities. No matter how bad or painfull the saddness will not last for ever, to be assured that in season joy will return. It is a hand plunged into the dark for everyone who needs it to take hold of and be helped into the light.
In my current Tisha B'av my hand is Psalm 121 vs 1-2. Its a big hand and if you need it the owner is holding it out for you.

Holidays End

I thought it was about time I ended this holiday blog. In case anyone was concerned, and hadnt already heard, we arrived home safely at the end of a long day. I have taken hundreds of photographs but, not wanting to put you off from looking, I have uploaded a few of them that can be seen as a slide show from my website. Thank you for sharing this holiday with us, Sean.

Day 14 Friday

I am reliably informed this was another day up at the local market; I spent most of the day in bed with an upset stomach. Melissa spent some considerable time in the sweet shop on the walk back from the market. We had planned to go out this evening to eat but we stayed in and made sandwiches instead.

Day 13 Thursday

To celebrate Greek Independence Day we go to Polis and watch the parade. If I where to tell the truth it would be that we drove to Polis and there where road closures so when we eventually got parked we tried to see what was happening and saw some children marching. We walked to the beach past the fields of orange trees, Melissa had not got her costume so it was just paddling here. We had lunch at Latchi then went for a walk around the Baths of Aphrodite, a very pleasant walk that would take at least a day to do.

Day 12 Wednesday

Today we get on the motorway and head for Limassol, I had thought we could drive that way quickly and take a leisurely road back stopping at various places on the return. Our first stop is Kolossi castle, my mums is not impressed with the local café. The castle is definitely worth looking around and has 3 floors to walk around. I have to stop as I climb to each floor to hold the wall and re balance at each new level, I know this will have been standing for hundreds of years but this doesn’t make me feel any safer, a completely irrational anxiety. The views from the roof are great. From here we go to the beach at Courion where Melissa swims for a short while before lunch. After lunch we follow the coast to go to the museum at the temple of aphrodite.

Day 11 Tuesday

We get the car and head off, our intention is to visit the gorge then go somewhere else. We try to get there and take a wrong turn and find ourselves running out of road so we go for a walk here; we follow a path towards the sea with Melissa running on ahead. This walk shows us the road we should have taken so we decide to go to Ayios Georgios and get a coffee then try the correct road. Now on the right road its getting hotter so its good that the car has aircon but as we leave tarmac we find it is really not good enough for the journey so decide to abandon the plan and let Melissa go swimming. After this we have a late lunch in Kathikas then go to see the cats at the Ayios Neophytos Monastery.

Day 10 Monday

We discuss hiring a car and decide that we need Melissa to wake up early so the plan is to do this tomorrow. We go for a walk along the beach, when Melissa eventually gets up. Melissa has a swim in the sea, my mum paddles until she sees fish, my dad sits and watches and I have to walk a couple hundred metres away as there is so little shade here. After a café stop where we, like true British stereotypes, discuss the weather with the proprietor we head back to the hotel so Melissa can do some more pool swimming. One of the other people staying here thought they had lost their keys in the pool so Melissa volunteered her expert diving services to go looking for them and was rewarded with coins thrown into the pool for her to retrieve and keep. My mum and dad went to book the hire car for the next few days so tomorrow the off the tourist track adventure begins, first stop Avakas gorge (if we can find it). I have to try and persuade Melissa to write a few papers for school as I did say this would be an educational trip as much as a holiday, I wont be holding my breath for these.

Day 9 Sunday

We go for a small walk today to let Melissa explore the local caves, there seem to be more pigeons living here now. This is going to be another lazy day and we buy pastries on the way back for our lunch. Melissa swims again in the pool. The temperature is getting hotter here, as if it wasn’t hot enough already.

Day 8 Saturday

As it is Sunday tomorrow and lots of places close we go to the market again to stock up on fruit and to try and buy gifts, we don’t get many gifts but are laden with fruit for our walk back to hotel. On the way back we try to go to the garden centre that is closed and watch as a car on tow loses its connection to the towing car when the rope snaps on one of the busiest junctions. We decide that we will scramble over rocks and through caves tomorrow when we are not so burdened so we pass this area but do stop to go down into the roadside shrine, there seems to be a lot less rags tied to the tree than there was, and Melissa lights a candle. The afternoon sees Melissa in the pool, again, and my dad and I watching part of a 15 hour star wars marathon on foxmovies, we manage to see end of episode 2 all of 3 and first bit of 4 before giving up and going to sleep.

Day 7 Friday

Today we have decided to go and see the mosaics. There really isn’t enough shade between the buildings but I think I find most of it. Melissa finds more holes to duck into this time wishing she had brought a torch. I think my dad really enjoys the walk around here, it’s a little breezy but there are no clouds. I take lots of photographs of the mosaics and try to imagine how they would have looked 2000 years ago, definitely not the drab colours we see now. I will see what GIMP (this reminds me that I tried to explain GNU to Melissa on the plane but she didn’t get the joke) can do with one of them. Melissa spends the rest of the afternoon in the pool with the rest of us taking turns with supervision.

Day 6 Thursday

It’s a lazy day today, my mum and I decide to go for a walk before anyone else gets up and wander down to the harbour for a coffee. Nothing much happens today we did try to go for a walk but as the storm clouds gathered, the thunder sounded and rain was falling we turned back and found a charity shop to get my mum some books. We where fortunate and did not drown in the deluge in fact we only felt a few drops of rain each as the wind was blowing the clouds away from us. As I am writing this I am reminded of a boating accident that happened a few days ago here a young family where in a boat that capsized the father is in hospital, the children are ok but they have still not located the mother. One of the rescue boats also capsized and the driver was killed. I find this tragic accident hard to think about it reminds me how fragile we are.

Day 5 Wednesday

We catch some busses to get to the bird and animal park, there are lots of caged birds and penned animals. I have never liked zoo’s and this is no exception, its nice to be able to see animals that you wouldn’t ordinarily see and I know these places do conservation and breeding programs, but being so enclosed and used for the entertainment of people doesn’t sit right with me. Nevertheless my mum, dad and Melissa really enjoy the trip here and I am happy they have a good day out. On our way back we stop off at corral bay so Melissa can go for a swim, she has lots of fun with the waves sometimes jumping over them and other times surfing them back into the tiny beach.

Day 4 Tuesday

Today we visit the Tombs of the Kings. It’s amazing this is the third time I’ve been here and seen something new, this is not including Melissa’s new impersonation of a rabbit escaping down a burrow. I think everyone has enjoyed this trip out: My dad sees the tombs for the first time, my mum enjoys the walk, Melissa enjoys crawling through small spaces because she can and I enjoy the shade. My mum wants to get Melissa some shorts so we spend an hour shopping, she tries on several girl ones until she finds a pair that fit and is then insistent that she wants the boy ones and would never ever wear the girl ones.

Day 3 Monday

Today we had decided to wake early and go to the market for much needed supplies, it seemed very quiet up there. It was good going back to my favourite café overlooking the town and sea. I don’t think my dad is warm enough here, if it wasn’t so breezy I think he would be fine. The bus prices have gone up (€1.50) and Melissa looks to old to get away with child prices. I am looking for a hat, I knew I would need one and still have the one I got here 2 years ago but after looking at it several times before leaving I decided not to take it, if I can find one that I can give to David as a present that would be perfect. Melissa buys a new hat, she has slight fixation on Jack O’Niell so it was army green but not perfect as it has CYPRUS emblazoned on the front. We go to the supermarket on the way back to get essentials: water, bread, yoghurt and honey. It is my mums birthday, I know its not her fault but it would have been more efficient to have mothers day and birthday on the same day. We splash out on a doner kebab take away, this wasn’t exactly what was planned but was ok.

Day2 Sunday

This is going to be our first full day here, I have not slept it was really noisy. Melissa has made a friend I think she may be planning how to bring it home. I have arranged by txt to try and meet Cheryl at 12 so we decide to take a slow start to the holiday and wander along the harbour to the artists café, we notice they have changed the seats here. We miss Cheryl according to both of our intermittent txts we are both there at the same time but somehow don’t see each other, never mind I’m sure we will meet up sometime during the year.
After arranging a room change for Melissa and I to the ground floor I go for a nap and Melissa goes for a swim, supervised by grandma and granddad. Being Sunday the supermarket is closed so we go in search of bread and milk elsewhere and end up in a café. Did I say my mum likes café’s? After a short rest back at the hotel we go out for dinner. I feel very generous and tell Melissa she can have whatever she likes of the set menu, this is a tiny section of the multi paged menu we are given, it seems like my mum and dad think I am also giving orders to them and we all order from here. Thus ends mothers day in Cyprus.

Day 1 Saturday

Today started at 6am with “The Hoobs” at rather large volume emanating from Antony’s room, this seemed like a good time to get up and start the holiday with a coffee, haircut, shower and shave.
I tried taking Kilo, Anthony’s adopted dog, for a walk to the cashpoint but he wouldn’t go anywhere without Anthony so I ended up taking them both for a walk. The ATM was broken, I hope this is not an indication of how the rest of the holiday will pan out. Fortunately Tesco cashpoint was much more obliging and we can at least eat when we get there.
Now seated at Airport departure lounge waiting for gate number. Anxieties ebbing and excitements flowing. Cyas all in a bit…
… We had an uneventfull flight and following a short taxi ride we arrived at the hotel. They had arranged for us to have rooms on the second floor, without lifts, after some negotiation We arranged for my mum and dad to be on the ground floor and Melissa and I have a temporary room on the first floor.
It has been a long day, we did do a quick walk along the harbour and had a bite to eat (I think full English at 10pm is ok).

Preparation

My mum asked me towards the end of last year about going with her and my dad to Cyprus, I think they thought I needed cheering up either that or the thought of two weeks alone together on such a tiny Island was too much to bear. I asked if I could bring some children with me, I have a few spare and they like to be let out occasionally, I was promptly told NO! Anyway I persisted, as the thought of two weeks alone with my mum and dad on such a tiny Island was too much to bear, and Melissa is being smuggled out of the country.
We booked the tickets and hotel on line, is there any other way now? And my usual pre-holiday anxieties kicked in immediately. How do we get to the airport, how do we get to the hotel from the airport, what will the accommodation be like (actually this doesn't bother me too much unless we are put on the top floor and the lift is broken). Easyjet, bless em, have not made my anxiety any easier. I couldn't print off the hotel voucher that their booking reference says YOU MUST PRINT THIS AND TAKE IT WITH YOU (404 error on web page), 2 e-mails ignored and a phone call (with 2 weeks of occasional twinges, visions of having to explain to my daughter that a park bench is ok for the night) later and I have now closed this potential problem. Now what if they have double booked...
My mum and dad now assure me they now have valid passports and I am busy printing stuff of the web, most of which will just be extra weight in the suitcase and completely not needed.

Thursday:
This day has been predesignated as shopping day so we head off to the shops. On the way Jo sees a crab in a window (dont think Ive mentioned this but every resteraunt has models of its food on display, the sort of plastic replicas your children get for their play kitchen that bear no resemblance to real food) and he immediatley wants to eat crab and tells me this for the next hour. We eat bread from a local convenience store and I quite enjoy sharing mine with the local pigeons (Jo really doesnt like them, I think he needs to watch The Birds). After wandering around a few shops, buying nothing, we decide to do some wandering in the old quater of Kyoto and stumble upon a zen temple and decide to go and look around (sign said photo's allowed so we did). There are many small shrines and temples here in Kyoto but this is quite a big temple, a tranquil oasis from the heaving city. I think I missed out telling you about the shinto temple we visited in Nagasaki Jo and I decided they where like pre industrial fairgrounds with lots of little attractions and things to do as you walk around from clapping and bowing cleansing rituals to feeding stone dogs, spinning rocks, washing hands and throwing rocks onto the tops of pillars (I think Jo still has his lucky washed coin) without a guide you could easily miss them. On the way back we had a good meal in a cafe like place where you could help yourself to extra rice, Jo had fish and I pork with a half runny omlet thing that tasted better than it sounds. We went to poundland (100 en shop which with tax was 105 en) It was much better value than everywhere else. If we brought you a pressie it was probably from there.

A time to mend

I bought an old leather jacket a few months back it looked ok had no rips was missing a few buttons so I thought this is ok I can buy some buttons get them sewn on and I will have a jacket to replace my existing one (Ive had it so long and it was old when I got it but its is comfortable). My mum said she would sew the buttons on but she ended up sending it to a shop where they did it at a £1 per button. So I now have my jacket but its not really been cared for and the leather has become dried our with age so I have started treating it with leather balm. This is a slow restoration process, you apply a little balm and work it into the leather but it seems that the closer I look the more that I can see where Ive missed bits or where it needs extra work. As I was doing this I allowed my mind to wander a little. To me restoring this Jacket is very similar to what God wants to do with each of our lives. Not only does he want to mend the parts of us that are broken but he also wants to care for our daily needs. As we become more willing to listen to him he will speak words of healing and restoration. The bits that no one else sees (inside the cuffs) he pays particular attention too as he knows thats where most of the wearing down happens. I know that everyone who reads this will have something in thier lives that needs repairing and pray that my heavenly Father will start his restoration job for you now.

Wednesday:
On the advice of Yukimi and Keyoka we decide that the only place to see real Japan and samurai is at the movie studio so we take a short train journey to ego mura we spend several hours there looking at a recreated Japanese town, had our photographs taken with samurai and watch a short play about a samurai and his teacher who encounter ninja and an evil wizard and a demon. The Samurai is put under a spell by the wizard and attacks his master. The master kills the wizard and the samurai is freed and together they vanquish the demon (the dialogue was in japanese but the way in which it was done was so it could be understood without understanding the language). A bit later we see how a movie scene is put together, it was quite funny, twists in the plot and more ninja. The director talks through the all the fights and shows how the bad guy dies in the end pointing out all the movie secrets and tricks, When the scene is completed it is then run through in its entirety with cameras rolling the bad guy kills the good guy and everyone laughs. They have a massive collection of power ranger (full size) statues here, Jo is decidedly unhappy at me wanting to be photographed with them and more reluctant to have his pictures taken with one. When we leave we eventually find our way back to the small train station then back to kyoto for a quick nap before going out for a meal (thanks grandma).

Tuesday:
We met up with the girls for the last time to say goodbye. After exchanging gifts at the platform it was quite sad leaving as they waved goodbye to us on the platform. Train Journey was Nagasaki - Hakata - shinOsaka - Kyoto and took about 6 hours. We arrive at Kyoto, the train station was just as busy as any other city station we had encountered and multistory. We where getting used to navigating these micro-cities and where able to find the touris information office in about 15 minutes and we arranged 3 nights accomodation (this was more expensive than Nagasaki, Jo was not happy about the cost, but I had anticipated it would be more and it was within budget). The ryokan is only accross the road from the tourist information office and we are pointed in its direction. The staff here are friendly and this is more like a hotel than our previous ryokan experience. It must be at least 3* accomodation but to save a few yen we opt to share washing and toilet facilities. After a quick settle into the room we decide to do some sightseeing, in the dark. After a four mile walk (it felt like more) we found a traditional noodle bar to sit at and eat (everything has meat in it so Jo eats rice and my rice). After eating we head back to the hotel only to find, when we are almost back, that jo has left his bag at the noodle bar; it was waiting for us when we returned to the bar, I think he learned his lesson as all future meals included a ritual of him tieing his bag to his leg.

Monday:
Before Jo and I meet up with Yuki and Keyo we walked to the site of the martyrs and whilst he was trying to write his postcards he made friends with a kindergarten group and provided the children and eventually the teachers, at the insistance of the children, with entertainment for about 20 minutes (it was a slightly surreal cross cultural exchange). We meet the girls near the train station, buy lunch from the supermarket, and go to the estuary for a picnic. It was amazing to see birds of prey flying with childrens kites. After we had eaten we went to Dejima. This was an Island that was constructed to maintain trade with the East India trading company whilst keeping christianity out of Japan; Here there where a few excavations and a number of reconstructed buildings. Later we had a meal at the shopping centre and I wnt back to the buissnessman hotel we had booked for this night and Jo went off with the girls for the evening and returned sometime later he had been to a kareoke bar.

Sunday:
We have a day out with Yukimi and Keyoka. We go to see cherry blossms at the site below the atomic bomb blast, I wonder if it is still radioactive today. Then to Nagasaki peace park, here there is a fountain with jets that form a pair of angels wings and a fair few statues given to the city by other countries as well as the more famous one of the seated man pointing upwards. We have a small picnic here then go off to the oldest church in Japan.
We arrange to meet again at lunch time the following day.

Transition

I have continued to enjoy CO2 with Chris, we both get a lot out of this. I would encourage anyone to try it. We discussed this recently and Chris was saying that even if you didnt want to believe or listen to God then you could still do the SACHET part with a friend, I completly agree and am convinced your relationship with that friend would be deepened and strengthened.
We had a great meeting at Moggerhanger park a few weeks back followd by a road trip to Nottingham to meet some believers from around the country to share a lunch and what God is doing in our little parts of the world. It was good to hear about parts of the bigger picture but also to be encouraged that others are hearing from God in a similar way.
I can almost feel a gentle breeze. In my mind its a tad bigger.

Saturday:
We check out of the ryokan and head to Nagasaki. At Tokyo station (after another 30 minures local train journey, a quick stop at shinjuku to find the park closed) we book our trains, we dont get a reserved seat for the trip to Osaka but the non reserved seats are fine. The journey id Tokyo-Shin Osaka-Hakata-Nagasaki. At some point we worked out that only Jo's phone worked but it would accept my sim card so we made the switch and eventually worked out how to phone Yukimi and arrange to meet her at 6:30 pm at Nagasaki station, 8.5 hours train journeyswith no time for mistakes between changes. We arrive at Nagasaki and while waiting for Yukimi I book two nights in a local ryokan. We are met by Keyoka (Yukimi's friend) and soon after Yukimi arrives and we walk to the ryokan to drop off the bags. On the way we are met by the ryokan owner and her dog and are shown the way to our room. Yukimi pours the tea and we discuss going uot for food. I want to try yakatori so Keyo makes a phone call and it is arranged that we will eat with her parents at thier friends restaurant. This was a most wonderful experience, following introductions to Keyoes parentsand her mums friend we go in and sit down to eat (we are introduced to the chef as we find our seats). I cannot sit in a formal position and am assured that sitting informally is good. There where too many courses to remember but highlights are tempura vegetables (aubegine; sweet potatoe and one stuffed with cheese) Yakatori (chargrilled pork, chicken diaphragm , chicken crop, chicken livers) sashimi, a very big fish eye. Keyoe's dad is a dispending chemist and likes rock music especially the Beatles. He tells me about the Japanese respect for the fish which is why all parts are eaten. Keyoes mum and friend both liked princess Diana. Keyoe' dad tells me about the bottle keep system they have when he is brought his bottle of shoshi ( a strong alcohol that is mixed with iced water). This meal I think will be the highlight of the trip for me, I am sure that nothing will be able to top this.

Friday:
It was a long flight I watched boy in the striped pjamas, bit of a sad ending. We arrived at Narita airporton friday morning, no problems getting through the various controls and asked our way to the JR endorsement office where we where issued with our train passes and given reserved tickets for a journey to Ikebukaro station. It was a bit difficult to find the train but after asking for directions (this is becoming a theme that will be repeated) we found the train and our seats. I thought at the time that this was kind and probably what they did for each new arrival but after reading the details on the tickets it seems that we are allowed to reserve as many times as we want to for our train journeys throuought Japan. We got as far as Tokyo and Jo wanted to get off so we had our first sights of this very very big city. We managed eventually to negotiate our way out of the station. It has many floors and miles of walkways. Once outside we walked around the corner and had our first meal, two bowls of noodles, this was a strangeexperience. The shop assistant helped us bewildered tourists by showing us the vending machine and where to put the money. Once chosen and the buttons pressed it produced a ticket that she then took. After showing us our seats she brought us some foul green tea and iced water then a little later two large bowls of noodles. A Very Strange first meal. After eating we decided to re-negotiate the train station to try and find our way to the ryokan that we had booked in England. We went in and out of the maze of train stations, there are so many differnt lines here. We eventually found a JR train to Ikebukaro station, standing room only like most of our short term journeys. It was about 30 minutes from Tokyo station 2mins/stop. Another complex train station to negotiate, we found our way out, Jo assuring me that it was the West kanji, we headed off in the wrong direction so back to the stationto find the correct exit. Once found it wasnt too difficult to negotiate the web map provided from thier website and we arrived 15 minutes to 3 so waited before checking in. Showered and changed into yukata we slep the rest of the day and night; I use the word slept loosely, in all Japanese style rooms you are given a thin mattress on the floor with a small pillow that I think is filled with lentils.

Thursday:
Up at 6am, on train before 7:30. Arrived at airport at 9:30 and into departure lounge by 11. Jo was hungry so has gone looking for food. He says I need to be able to say more Japanese than "yes" and "coffee". Im not sure why. Have said I will learn a few more words. Jo had spent half his time in the baggage drop queue chatting to some Japanese girls, he was happy that they understood him.This is a good start.