EMO\\GOTH

Aaron wasn’t quite ready for me to stay with him last night so I just spent the night in a hostel.  I’m continuing my stay where Charlie and I stayed a couple of nights.  It’s a really nice place for a hostel, but last night was my realization why I don’t like dorm-style housing with strangers.  I have no problem sleeping through their noise when they come in at all hours, but there’s inevitably the one person who can’t handle my noise when I get up early.  Maybe it’s just part of the hostel experience, but I still feel bad about it.

Tonight I get to stay with Aaron in his apartment that’s slightly bigger than his body.  I don’t know where I’ll sleep.

Our stay in Shimoda is coming to an end. It was a great way to punctuate a week of train travel. So far we have been to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Okayama, Himeji, Nara, and Shimoda. We head back to Tokyo tomorrow. It has been a grueling schedule, but very rewarding.

Spending time in Shimoda has been incredibly relaxing with strenuous activities. Just today we woke up around 8am, got breakfast at 9am, and I was out in the water by 9:45. I boogie-boarded for almost 3 hours before coming in exhausted. My legs felt like rubber, but I wasn’t ready to sit so I went for a walk on the rocks. The tidepools around the rocks are amazing. The water is crystal clear. You can see all forms of aquatic life without getting wet.

After my walk, we got some food from a local restaurant. I had some fantastic chili fries and coffee. The coffee was necessary as I was falling asleep. It started raining sometime after boogieboarding, but I really wanted to get back in the water. However, I went for another walk instead. When I got back, I felt the need to try surfing. Surfers always amaze me, though it’s not something I’ve ever done. My uncle let me borrow his long board and gave me some advice — “stay away from the other surfers.” So, in the cold and the rain I suited up again to get pummeled by the 3ft waves.

Not to sound too conceited, I did damn well. My goal was to get two feet on the board with bonus points for standing up. In the 45 minutes I was out, I succeeded with the primary goal. No bonus points were awarded. As happens, night arrived and it got too dark to surf. I can’t wait to surf again. I’m going to up my goal to getting my feet on the board twice. It’s still too soon to try standing up.

boogie-1.jpg,
originally uploaded by Eli C.

I have been posting crummy pictures of Shimoda from my phone. It’s about time I put something up that did the area more justice. The water here is beautiful, if not a bit calm for surfing. There was a very low tide today so we went for a walk to see some incredible tide pools. I have uploaded a few pictures of our walk and the subsequent water activities to Flickr.

Aaron totally came through on helping get me my very own Japanese phone. It’s a simple pre-paid deal through SoftBank/Vodaphone. Now I feel much more connected to Japan.

The other upside is that I can now remotely post to this page. I was up until 3am getting it all set up, but it works great now. Expect more random, short posts with pictures.

With this phone, I now have an email address. Email sent to this phone is received by me as a text message. These text messages are free so people can send short notes if they want. My email address is cheeselick_2614@softbank.ne.jp.  I’ll try to reply with a picture or something.

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CIMG0529.JPG,
originally uploaded by Eli C.

We were determined not to fall asleep at 4pm so Charlie and I went for a walk down to a temple. It was a nice walk down a very narrow road. I’m not sure if the people were crossing the street in front of us out of fear or just because the sidewalk was non-existent. Either way it made me feel like a big man.

After viewing temples and taking lots of touristy pictures, we managed to somehow order food at a restaurant. Both of us got unagi in a bowl of rice and some beer. It was really nice.

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Picture of myself in the hotel,
originally uploaded by Eli C.

Our flight was 10 boring hours, but an uneventful flight is a good thing. We slept a lot on the plane so we weren’t completely exhausted when we landed. It’s still really tough to stay awake. It’s after 5am for me right now. I’m surprised I can remain conscious. Charlie passed out almost an hour ago.

We took a few minutes to get ourselves oriented in the hotel before venturing out. There’s a temple nearby so we trekked down to be supertourists. My pictures are still uploading, but I’ll post more about it when they’re done. Suffice it to say that it was a very relaxing and very fun first day. Pictures were taken, food was eaten, and a good time was had by all.

My brain is turning into a thick, soupy substance as I type. It may be time to give in to this nagging desire for sleep.

After a few days back in Seattle, I’m ready to leave again.  The next stop on my world tour is Japan.  I’ll be traveling with my friend Charlie and meeting another friend, Aaron, and my uncle.  Aaron and my uncle live about an hour outside of Tokyo.  They don’t live together, however.  That would be weird.

We’ll be flying in to the international airport in Narita.  It’s a bit outside of Tokyo, but Charlie and I got passes that allow us to ride the trains as much as we want for 2 weeks.  They should pay for themselves after a few short trips.

Being in Seattle has really made me realize how much I’m ready to live somewhere else.  Maybe it’s the culture shock of arriving home after some time away.  Maybe it’s just my own preference.  I can’t really tell right now.  All I know is that Seattle is really slow.  I think I need more stimulation.  I also have a strong desire to start things over.  I guess that’s why I quit my job, gave up my apartment, and sold my car.  The east coast is seeming like a good place to be.  I had a ticket to Vienna, but I’m thinking of canceling it now.  My reason to go has all but dissolved.  Someday I’ll go to Europe, but I’m not sure now is the time.

Midnight in Leme,
originally uploaded by Eli C.

Tonight is boring. I could have gone out drinking or dancing or some combination of the two. Instead, I sat around taking pictures and browsing the web. My time here is winding down. I think I am as well.

This picture was taken outside of my apartment window. I just moved into a new place yesterday because the lady rented out the other one from under me. It’s okay, though. This place is much nicer.

Large Waves in Ipanema,
originally uploaded by Eli C.

There were some very large waves in Rio today. I took a walk with some friends to the border between Ipanema and Copacabana to watch surfers. The waves were crashing over this outcropping of rocks. A lifeguard was out telling people where not to stand. Usually you can pretty much do what you want around here. This must have been really dangerous.

Afterwards, we got some coconut water and relaxed a bit before going to dinner. My friend Alex convinced me to go to an all-you-can-eat sushi place. I have to admit that the food was pretty good. The nigiri were very good, but I wasn’t a fan of the rolls with mango. I know I’m in Brazil and I love mango, but sushi isn’t a good place to put it.

CIMG0376.JPG,
originally uploaded by Eli C.

My buddy Camron and I recently took a trip to the steps at Lapa. The artist was there posing for pictures and answering questions. He started putting tiles on the steps in 1998. It is now a living work of art with tiles being replaced and updated regularly. You can even send in a tile of your own and he will install it.