Goodbye Margaret River

Sadly, our stay in Margaret River has ended. For us, it was a lovely area to visit full of options for family entertainment, yet a relaxing take it easy sort of town. Prior to hitting the interstate, we made a few stops. First, Lake Cave. We learned that if we return to Western Australia in ten years, this glistening cave will no longer warrant the description "lake". Scientist predict the water level will be zero in ten years. It's most magnificent feature, the "suspended table" is made all the more beautiful because of the water's reflection. Roo lead us with our self guided headsets into Mammoth cave. Vast and deep, we got our exercise getting in and out of this cave.

Entrance

Exit (Ryan is in red, Roo is to the right of the center mound)

We stopped at kid friendly Laurance wines where they have a playground and a lovely restaurant with the outdoor tables positioned to overlook a rose garden and a blue pond. We enjoyed a taste of wine, cheese, salad, and date & fig compote. The wine is for sale, but not the date and fig compote which was amazing. I'll be scouring online for a recipe.

In our search for an authentic UGG store which turned out to be closed because of the holidays, we happened upon Simmo's ice cream. It's summer, and we've been eating a lot of ice cream. It and the kids play area made this one a lucky find!
We're back in Perth, taking in more sites, including the beach. Despite the fact that it's hot and I'm nursing a sunburn on my legs, we hope to make the most of our last days in wonderful Western Australia!

Our Christmas Day

Our Christmas Day, of course, started with the presents left by Santa. It is fun that he still believes in Santa Claus, but I'll admit, it's hard for me to fib. It feels misleading, almost like teasing. This might have something to do with being the one child teased who was told year after year until the final moment that her present was forgotten. I should get over it because really, where's the harm in Santa? The year will arrive soon enough when his analytical thought process will spoil the myth. Cleverly, Roo did notice something on the packaging was written in Japanese and asked "doesn't Santa know Australia is English?". I explained that while Santa knows Australians speak English, he also knows we live in Japan. Apparently that was enough of an explanation, no furthering questioning occurred. In the afternoon we enjoyed the warm sun at Meelup Beach. Once again we were glad to have our bug nets to wear over our heads, and were relieved that even the locals deemed the situation serious enough to require head nets. Roo had many goes at "getting dirty" as he raced through the sand to roll down the bank which led to a splash in the water below.

Back up the hill,

almost, for another go.

Merry Christmas!

Valley of the Giants

With an early sunrise and a wide awake five year old, it wasn’t a problem getting on our way early this morning for a 3 ½ hour drive to our planned destination, the Tree Top Walk in the Valley of the Giants. The southern border of Western Australia is a beautiful landscape where the forest meets the ocean. Half way into the drive Roo became restless and announced “I think I’m allergic to cars”. We made a brief stop at the park in Pemberton to view the Gloucester Tree. Ryan climbed the 60m to the top. Roo, mad that I said he couldn’t climb up wished out loud “awww, I wish I was a big person”. After lunch in Walpole, we made our way to the main attraction, the Tree Top Walk in the Tingle Forest. Built in 1996 to protect the delicate ecosystem from the expanding number of tourists, the Tree Top Walk reaches a height of 40 meters above ground. Species from the age of the super continent Gondwanan (when Australia, Africa, India, Antarctica, and South America were joined) still exist in this forest, and the trees are somewhat of a novelty for their primordial appearance. It was a long day, to and from, but well worth the effort. Another spectacular day in nature!

Horse Ride

Today's destination was Jester's Flat, which offers a good quality equestrian experience for us city dwellers. Outfitted with helmets and jodhpurs (ankle boots with elastic sides), we rode on a trail that winds through the bush. Roo's horse was Polly, Ryan's George, and my silly gal, Sausage. The mosquito head nets I purchased this morning was money well spent! I haven't noticed any mosquitoes, but the quantity of little black flies that come to rest on your body is shocking! A local explained that this crop of flies is recent, and yes, this year they are especially bad. Back at the stables, Ryan and I had a go at a trot and for brief moments, a canter. From the start, Roo surprised both Ryan and I with his level of confidence and little hesitation. Since he rode the pony around the circle at kodomo no kuni, I image he felt he was an experienced rider.

Ryan ate a GRUB!

Specifically, he ate a section of a witchetty grub marinated in a Greek yogurt sauce. Found and harvested by the indigenous people, this larvae was once an important source of protein for desert dwellers. On the Bushtucker tour, we canoed on the Margaret River, crawled though a tight tunnel in a cave, washed in the river, smell & taste tested native foods, and trekked through the bush. I’m a user of tea tree oil and today I saw the tree and leaves responsible for producing the antiseptic oil. At times Ryan and I managed to get our groove with the oars, but most of the time our pattern was a zig zag. Our lunch was a spread of nuts, berries, blood lime, kangaroo meat, emu meat, turkey, sun dried tomato bread, cheese, honey, crackers and various chutneys made from local ingredients. Our guide Gordon was pleasant and the group small. Our life in Tokyo doesn’t often intersect with this much nature so, despite the flies, we all took advantage of the opportunity and got dirty. Next time we won’t wear white shirts.

Leeuwin - Naturaliste Ridge

Today we climbed over 300 steps! First, we drove to the southern tip of the continent to tour the still functioning Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. This lighthouse serves as a beacon for ocean vessels as they venture near the choppy waters and rough shore where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. For the benefit of us Americans in the group, the guide pointed out the small mass of rock in the ocean that is directly across from Washington D.C. if you were to travel straight through the earth. We tried taking the gravel “scenic” drive to our next destination but decided to turn around when we realized it would be a bumpy ride in our rental car. Now we have a better understanding of why Subaru chose to name one of their AWD vehicles the Outback.

Our next destination, Jewel Cave, a spectacular display of glowing underground calcite! Miffed that a jolly little red head girl in the group talked the tour guide into letting her be the “leader” down the steps because she’s been there before, Roo positioned himself on the defense. Of course he already knew everything about caves as he reminded us “I saw it on Little Einsteins”. Under the influence of the splendor around us, he calmed and eventually enjoyed the tour which took us down approximately 138 feet and across 0.4 miles of stairs and walkway. Towards the end, the little red head (who remained jolly throughout) announced she wanted “to give someone else a turn”, making way for Roo who happily led the group up stairs and around turns back to the top.

Bunbury

On our drive south, we stopped in the coastal town of Bunbury for lunch and a break from driving. In Tokyo our main mode of transportation is public, and Roo’s tolerance for road trips makes this obvious. Two hours into the drive he’s asking “is this the longest we’ve ever driven in a car?” Our lunch: an extremely large portion of fish and chips at Buck’s Diner. Fish and chips are everywhere here and Bucks delivers a tasty batter fry. After, we walked the rocky shore at Lighthouse Beach.Roo played in the waves, enough to require a quick shower and a full change of clothes.Arriving in Margaret River in the late afternoon, our first impressions are positive. Roo found a spot to hang his stocking in our rented apartment since this is where Santa will find us this year. We ended the day by watching Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and savoring our Sunday custom of Oreo cookies dunked in milk.

AQWA

Yesterday we visited The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA). The aquarium is on the shoreline and is sorted by the unique species present at different points along Australia's western coast. If you enjoy marine life, this is definitely a great aquarium to visit. Our favorite was riding the revolving walkway to view overhead sharks, stingrays and loggerhead turtles from the Indian ocean. In the far north coast section we learned about saltwater crocodiles. We saw creatures us close and the danger zone featured deadly marine creatures. Roo briefly tried the magnifier in the touch pool. After the aquarium, we stopped at a nearby park on Hillarys Boat Harbour and Roo had a go on the trampoline. Perth is hot! Yesterday's high was 34C/93F. Today we travel south to the cooler Margaret River.

We've arrived in Perth

Yesterday was a full day spent in the sky. We left our home at 6:20am to make our way to Narita airport. Roo worked his legs by running in the airport at Kuala lumpar.Next, we flew on brightly colored Malaysian Air to Perth, Australia, arriving to our hotel at 1:30am. Things went smoothly. We all were a little grumpy on the first flight, but slept well on the second. Roo played & watched Speedracer television, Ryan listened to music while reviewing documents, and I finished a book and watched Julie & Julia. Today we catch up on our rest!

Mesclun Update

The baby leaf mixed greens continue to grow! Unfortunately for us, we'll miss out on eating the first clipping because of holiday travel. This morning they are going to a neighbors for safe keeping. I'm just happy to see something grow.

"Shin" or "New"

Despite a financial scandal within the organizing body that coordinates the decision process, Japan has once again chosen The Kanji of the Year. "Shin" means "New" and symbolizes 2009 for various reasons. Most interesting, the new type of flu virus that has us parents checking our child's temperature daily, has caused school classes to close here and there, and has caused more people than usual to don a white surgical mask before stepping onto the public bus. What "new" things happened for us in 2009? Let's see...

• We started the year by vacationing in a state we hadn't been, Hawaii.


• Our country inaugurated a new President.


• Ryan got a hearing aid.


• I got an espresso machine.


• Roo can wash his own hair.


• My heels (sometimes) reach the floor in down dog.


• I had my eyelashes permed.


• Roo had his first sleepover at a friends.


• Ryan switched to a Mac .


• I learned to hula hoop.


• Ryan started Pilates.


• Roo had his first trip to the dentist and had a cavity filled.


• Roo lost two baby teeth and two new teeth came in their place.


• I finally made it to Kyoto.


• I have a new camera that I haven't managed to take out of the box yet.

And the most amazing "new" thing for our family .....

• Roo started kindergarten and is learning to read, do math, and ask amazing questions!

Leg warmers

This weekend I heard a visiting American comment that she loved that in Japan she can wear leg warmers, something she hasn’t done since Flashdance. It got me thinking that a revival of this tubular knit hasn’t happened yet in the States. Here, where there are pantyhose, there are leg warmers. A few weeks ago while on a quick trip to the shopping area of Shibuya, I snuck into a stocking shop to replenish my own toe sock, ankle warmer and leg warmer collection. Like leggings, I go for the basic variety in either brown or black. Leggings? Of course! What else do you wear with leg warmers?

Teacher Appreciation

Thursday was Teacher Appreciation Day at Roo's school. The parents managed to surprise the entire staff with a buffet feast fit for this hardworking ambitious bunch. The food covered flavors from around the world. The display was splendid!

Spa Resort Hawaiians

This past weekend we traveled with two other families from school to the town of Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture. Our destination, the Spa Resort Hawaiians theme park. Built in the mid 1960’s to bring economic vitality to this previously prospering coal town, the resort is a massive indoor complex. It was two warm days filled with pools, water slides, raft rides, and hot springs. Dressed in the hotel issued attire, we attended the evening show which featured amazing dancers, beautiful costumes, flame throwers and a live Hawaiian band. The kids, two boys and two girls, played great together. They kept us parents busy going from area to area. As one parent put it, “it was the most tiring relaxing weekend I’ve ever had”. Despite the required effort to take it all in, it is a fun get away for families.

This is the European style family hot bath. There is a separate area containing the traditional Japanese hot bath that replicates the style from the edo period, however, since men and women are separated, we opted for the "swim suits on" family option.

Our group dressed in the hotel issued evening attire.

Roo loved the current pool that moves your float along.
Ryan entertained the kids for most of the 2 1/2 hour train ride home.

Fa la la la la, la la la la

In preparation for today's program at school, Roo has been practicing his "fa la la la la". However, instead of Deck the Halls, Roo's class sang a more knightly version in tune with this month's theme study of the country of England.

Girls: A princess lives in the tall tower,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la,

Girls: I always drop down lots of flowers,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la

Girls: I need a Prince to break the spell,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la

Girls: Who will save me time will tell,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la

Girls: Is there a brave Prince in these lands,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la

Girls: I wish he'd take me by my hand,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la

Boys: I will save you Princess fair

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la

Girls: Not right now I gotta wash my hair,

Boys: Fa la la la la, la la la la .