2009: A Schumacher Odyssey

tequila!!

2009-09-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, we made it to the town of Tequila, about 50 kms from Guadalajara. Beautiful situation surrounded by ranges and by farms growing blue agave. The town is still small, but thriving with a good tourist trade and from tequila. Jose Cuervo has a factory tour there, which showed us the barrels, vats and the bad smell, but also gave us a free margarita at the end. You will have to visit Connie.

which is tyce

2009-09-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

One of the pictures is Tyce and one is of Jose's nephew Juan Pablo, who is 4 years old and might be even naughtier than Tyce. When I showed him the picture of Tyce and asked who it was, he said me.

spanish lesson 1 - greetings

2009-09-07T11:14:00.001-07:00

mexicans part 2

2009-09-03T16:26:00.001-07:00

There is a strong sense of identity in Mexico, with flags and symbols everywhere. There is also a strong security presence with security and police walking around with sawn off shotguns in the cities.
At 6 pm the soldiers are taking down this huge flag in the middle of Mexico Cityand they had to make sure no part touched the ground. There was a bit of a wind blowing so they had a hard time of it at first.
I suppose if you have such a big neighbor, you like to stand up for your own special character. I didn't expect it to be so obvious or so catchy. It feels good to be Mexicano, and since they are not so tall and fairly solid, I fit right in.

mexican army

2009-09-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

the old and the new

2009-09-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Mexico City is a massive place about the same size as all of Tokyo. We stayed at the Guadelupe missionaries seminary on the south side, which meant about an hour and a half commutes to the places of interest. Metrobuses (bendy buses like in Brisbane) with dedicated stations and lanes are big both in Mexico City and Guadalajara. I use one to get to Spanish school and it is fast and reasonably cheap, only about 1 dollar Aus. Some of the buses are extra long with two bends in them. In Mexico after the pyramids we went to the Anthropology Museum. Thats where I got a real eye-opening into the rich and diverse history of Mexico. Alot of it is still being dug up, with new civilizations still being discovered. We did less than half of the museum that was plenty.

climbing pyramids

2009-09-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Mexico is an old country and has a long diverse history. We visited the pyramids outside of Mexico City at Teotihuacan, called the pyramids of the sun and the moon. There was major city here for 700 years from the time of Christ, before the Aztec or Maya. There were alot of civilizations that interacted with each other throughout central America.
The climb wasn't too bad, like walking up out of the subways. Still it a special feeling being on something so old that still has a kind of energy about it. My back had been aching sitting in the mini-van as we toured around, and either the climb or the special psychic power of the place made it feel better.

mexicans

2009-09-02T16:44:00.001-07:00

With some of Jose's friends in San Juan.
As you can see there is a great variety in the looks of Mexicans. Where ever I go, I am spoken to in Spanish. I wear a baseball cap for the local soccer team and sunglasses and no one knows the difference until I open my mouth. In Japan where you always stand out, its a different feeling people thinking you are local. My Spanish is picking up and I can at least guess what people are saying to me even if I cant reply. Homework awaits, Leo

taxco, silver town

2009-09-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Taxco tumbles down the side of a mountain, near silver mines that have been dug for hundreds of years. The Spanish took over from the Aztecs, and fortunately as there has not been much growth in the last century, the old Spanish town still remains. There are alot of alleys and little plazas that look very inviting to explore. And as there are stairs everywhere, not so many cars. We were only there for three hours but felt I could spend a week there exploring, as well as checking out the silver shops.

valle de bravo

2009-09-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Up in the mountains two hours from Mexico city is the resort town of Valle de Bravo. Kind of like Queenstown, without the ski-fields, but probably more expensive real estate. It rained everyday, and with the aggies, NZ flax and toe-toe around the place it had a real NZ feel about it. Jose's friends own a restaurant next to the lake, so we where extremely well fed the couple of days we were there. The area is almost the opposite of Jalisco and what we ordinarily think about when we think about Mexico - green, wet, wealthy. Still I did have some tequila there.

travels in mexico

2009-09-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

View mexico travels in a larger map

catch-up

2009-09-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Emma received a special hand made certificate for winning the guess-the-beads comp. from Eve. Ryan got his trip to the US, where his team won the top prize for the competition.
I am at language school, where I can finally have unlimited access to the web and can load up plenty. I may need more than two weeks to learn Spanish, but I can order food and drink and find a bus.

jalisco state

2009-09-01T11:31:00.001-07:00

I thought Mexico in summer time was going to be hot, but I would just put up with it. Its not. Guadalajara is 1500 m. above sea level, that's the ski field on the mountain, while San Juan and Mexico city are over 2000 m., that's Fantham's peak. The night times are always cool, you need long sleeves and daytime is okay in the shade. Tokyo and Seoul are so much worse. This time of year is great and I have avoided the worse of Tokyo's summer. However as the air is thinner, I burn really quickly. I am learning to put on sunblock ever for short times.
Jalisco state is kind of the heartland of Mexico. The home of Tequila, mariachi and sombreros. It still has a strong country feel about it, and around San Juan, most of the men wear jeans, cowboy hats and drive utes. The women tend to wear clothes a size or two too small. There are plenty of kids around and after Japan, Mexico does feel like a young country. However that makes me feel old.

San Juan de los Lagos

2009-09-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Text for the photo below - a little late.
San Juan is Jose's hometown and down below you see him with his mother.
The cathedral in town is famous for a statue of Mary and has become a place of pilgrimage. We were there for the feast of the Assumption, which is held in the plaza in front of the cathedral. I concelebrated the mass and got well sunburnt. I did think I should wear a hat and forgot the sunscreen. About ten thousand people turned up. The next day we had a barbecue, where some of Jose's friends with families turned up. Even the kids speak Spanish!

next stop San Juan de los Lagos

2009-08-28T16:13:00.001-07:00

how do you say blog in spanish

2009-08-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

Now that I have finished travelling and have started Spanish school, I can get update my blog without worrying about blowing peoples web access.
Here you see Mayumi Ono, Fr. Jose Alfredo and Maiha Ono. I think most of you have met Maiha, Mayumi is her mother (very young looking, everyone we meet here think they are sisters) and Jose who came back to Mexico from Japan about 3 years ago. He will be returning to Japan next year. He was our hard working guide.

Mariachi in Tlaquepaque

2009-08-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

old guadalajara

2009-08-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

blog business

2009-08-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Emma on guessing the number of beads 349. I am not sure what you have won yet, maybe Eve will make something from the beads for you. Competition number 2, the Wii game. Ryan was closest and wins a trip to the US. We were riding elephants, not being chased by them, and we had to shake the reins up and down to make them go faster.
The music was removed from Emma's Aussie highlights because it violated copyright laws. blogger sent me an email telling me that. I think you can only use up to a minute of music or something before it gets taken off. And Susan the sound for hotel room is working okay, so it might be your computer.
Yes Connnie I did make the "thank you" card all by myself. (on the computer) LEO

guadalajara cathedral

2009-08-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

The center of Guadalajara is stunning.
The old colonial town has been beautifully preserved and goes for block after block. In the center of course is the cathedral surrounded by plazas. Nearly all the buildings are made from a local gray stone, which gives a pleasant consistent look to everything.

in guadalajara at last

2009-08-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

we finally arrived in Guadalajara 2 days late. Still we had a good time on the way. Maiha and her mother Mayumi, whom alot of you know came from Toshima. 2 others had to pull out of the trip. Our host is Fr. Jose Alfredo.

on the road

2009-08-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

The flight was rescheduled 30 hours later and still left Narita an hour late. Which left us only 45 minutes to get our connection to Guadalajara. After the ground staff said that it would be okay, we got to the next gate 12 minutes late and the plane was gone. We our now booked to fly out of Mexico city tomorrow morning at 7am. Andd so another hotel room. Leo

almost there

2009-08-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Journey Interrupted

2009-08-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in a Narita Hotel room. Our flight yesterday was cancelled and we will be leaving tonight 30 hours after the scheduled time. Not bad, Aeromexico!
The room, all meals and use of facilities here are all free. And it hasn't been all that bad. I could do with some down time, where i cant do anything much.
Last night we went to the see Harry Potter #6. I think the worse of the series so far. The director obviously wanted to highlight the acting, against a washed out blue background. I would have preferred far less acting and alot more CG and bright colours. Very disjointed and quite a feat to make so many great actors appear boring.
Today was exercise, walk to the mall, buy some clothes (our bags were not returned), swim and sauna.
Will introduce you to everyone next time. Leo

Back blogging

2009-08-13T02:05:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have been AFK (away from keyboard) for so long.
I got back to Tokyo and felt snowed under with work.
I will have to organise my life better sothat I dont feel exhausted at the end of the day.
Of course one reason that I was so busy was that I had to get things sorted out for my trip to Mexico!
Now that I am on the way, I am back Blogging.

THANK YOU GRACIAS ARIGATOU

2009-08-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

art, sun and mojitos

2009-07-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

Highlights of Aussie

2009-07-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

school uniform

2009-07-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

Emma is in her best bahaviour only when she is in her uniform. (I don't really think so)

dear nemo

2009-07-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was a little jealous that you got onto this blog before I did. Life is busy here in Palmy, sleeping and eating. I did have a problem, when some 'guest' wanted to use my bed!! I nipped his finger which put him in his place. Some of those humans have no manners. I hope Nemo you keep your humans under control,
meow Monkey

penny's and gerard's kitchen

2009-07-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

all welcome to Mt. Maunganui

2009-07-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

next competition

2009-07-21T03:27:00.000-07:00

In the below video, what activity were we doing with the Itoy video game. Hint: listen to the audio.

what are we doing?

2009-07-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

good-bye to the mountain

2009-07-19T02:06:00.000-07:00

I always like to stop at Mokau before I leave Taranaki. The mountain was clear, the wind was blowing and there was plenty of driftwood on the beach. Leo

art deco dangeerous

2009-07-19T01:46:00.000-07:00

Hoani and Sam at the Art Deco Ball in Napier. They have found an era when they feel at home. Is Hoani's one of Al Capone's bodyguards? Leo

pictures from Mad, Ash and Tyce

2009-07-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

At Ajo's, we went for dinner. I had chicken nuggets and chips. And chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and a eskimo. We might win a prize with our pictures. Ashley

good night tyce

2009-07-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

Tyce going to bed with his hot water bottle inside the teddy bear. And he would need it over the past few days. Wish I were back in Midhirst. Leo

for Auntie Susan from Tyce, Maddi, Ashley

2009-07-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

wishing they were on our mountain

2009-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Mule Adventures

2009-07-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Grandad taking the kids on the farm in the mule. The kids loved turning the mule on and off even when grandad was driving. We loved the mule!

The house of Eve??

2009-07-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Meow!!

2009-07-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

Nemo just wanted to say hi to you all and be the star of Leo's blog!

winter in fitzroy

2009-07-14T03:44:00.000-07:00

GUESS THE BEADS!!

2009-07-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a job for all you mathematicians out there
or all you really good guessers! What you have to do is guess how many beads there are! simple!
Clue: I am 158cm tall and the beads are twice as tall as me! All the beads are roughly 1 cm long ans wide.
So go on take a guess, write it in the comment box and i will tell you if you are too high or too low.
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY GUESSES!!

EVE'S ARTISTIC FLARE!!

2009-07-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few examples of the sort of things I waste my time doing! :D

Eve's Room!

2009-07-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is a short movie of my room.

She Bangs The Drums!!

2009-07-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful new Pearl Drum Kit. Me and Dad have jams quite often and ...

WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

taranaki

2009-07-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

Mt. Taranaki approximately 10:30am 11 July 2009 - possibly the most traumatic morning of my life...

2009-07-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

those poor unsuspecting people...
they don't know what's about to hit them.
possibly a lot of rocks, ice and small shrubs....
Lauren

ultra economy class

2009-07-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

On the flight back to Brisbane, Lawrence and Connie had seats.
Ryan, Emma and I had to make doo with any spare apace we could find.

Midhirst Madness

2009-07-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome 2 Palmy

2009-07-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

Well Palmy, unfortunately, did not turn on the sunshine for Leo's visit. We however made the best of a chilly situation and enjoyed a lovely stroll along the Manawatu River and a meander through the city gardens. This of couse envigourated our appetites so we found ourselves a lovely cafe where we enjoyed a BLATO (Baacon, Lettuce, Avacado, Tomato, and Camalised Onion) sandwich, Yummy! Don't judge the garden shots harshly, it is winter and our weed-eater is out of nylon ;-p

11 parklands st.

2009-07-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

Some tips for interior deocrating:
original artwork by Eve, Emma and Ryan
classic reproductions by Klimt
numbered print of Taranaki
and of course a large screen tv with plenty of DVD's

aussie birds

2009-07-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

The first morning at Calam vale, I could hear the kookaburras from my bed. There is so much birdlife around aussie cities. Mrs Miyake enjoyed the variety of birds and was thrilled with the crimson rosellas and king parrots at O'Reilly's. After Tokyo, seeing old friends like magpies and more exotic galahs, it is good to see the native birds coping well with urban living. Leo

grey nomads

2009-07-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Among the many species we saw in our journey we came across many grey nomads. Characterised by their gregarious nesting habits in trailer parks, the rumble of big 4WD engines and ability to pack a great deal into very small compartments, the grey nomads are a common feature of the Outback. I wonder if we will have any in our family. This entry has been sponsored by www.greynomadaustralia.com.au Leo

where we went

2009-07-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

dinosaur stampede

2009-07-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Lark Quarry, 110 km from Winton which is almost 200 km from Longreach, is the only site in the world with dinosaur tracks showing a stampede. Two groups of smaller dinosaurs are at a waterhole, when a large carnivore comes down for prey - shown in photo. The smaller dinosaurs scatter, running into each other as they try to escape, and one unlucky seems to have been caught. The tracks must have been covered in the same day by mud, which then fossilized. We were able to handle some of the fossils as we tried to imagine when the desert was a swamp. Yes Emma it did take three hours to get there, but the dinosaur tracks took a few million years to get there. Leo

What farming used to be like

2009-07-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

longreach house

2009-07-08T01:41:00.000-07:00

We stayed 4 days in this old Queenslander in Longreach, and thought it would be ideal for Susan and Toon if they want to settle somewhere warm and dry. Leo

waltzin' maltilda

2009-07-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Waltzin' Maltilda, waltzin' maltilda, you com'a waltzing maltilda with me....... the highlight of this visit is I bought a CD with 16 different versions!! including one that was recorded in 1926 (Emma said it was like somebody singing in the shower! - a little bit of static). There were lots of things to see, good 'ol Banjo was sitting under the coolibah tree, singin' his famous tune, telling his life story. The old steam train was exciting to climb on, it has a flash toilet too. A cast iron merry-go-round painted purple and yellow was quite interesting, but alas, it was too heavy to push with the kids on it! worthing visiting, Connie ;-

the australian stockmans hall of fame

2009-07-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

One of the main attractions in Longreach was The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame which featured the stockmen, unsung heroes and explorers of Australia. There were many exhibits showing the tools and techniques people used in the olden days. As we moved through the galleries, we saw the history of the post office, planes and rodeos. We then caught the two o'clock outback show displaying the techniques of how to herd sheep with a dog. Rusty (the instructor) also explained what animals and equipment he used to travel in the outback. We then went back to the Lili Rose Cottage to rest and later went for a walk in the outback. The sun was setting so the birds, kangaroos and wallabies were out. We saw many kangaroos although they were far away. The sun was setting in the distance as we drove back to the cottage at the end of another day. Emma :-)

Train Ride

2009-07-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of us on the 24 hour sleeper berth train. Uncle Leo got the First Class room while me, Emma and Dad shared the economy room. The first night was spent watching "Alien" on the computer and convinbcing Emma there were no Aliens outside the train. It was a very enjoyable trip and i would definitely do it again. Ryan

koala park visit

2009-07-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

Mrs Miyaki loved the wildlife here, especially when you can touch it or see it in the wild. She fed many kangaroos, which was quite difficult as these roos were very well fed. We saw cockatoos in a cage, and then we pointed them out to Mrs Miyaki in the trees.
The Bird of Prey show was great with owls and eagles flying through the audience. The sheepdog show was more prosaic, and reminded me of smiddy and trevor.
In the end Mrs Miyaki had a photo taken with a koala, to complete the survey of Australian animals.
Lawrence

golden coast

2009-07-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

I had my first taste of Moreton Bay bugs at George's, a Greek seafood restaurant in Sanctuary Cove; kind of like crayfish. We visited three hotels that day, each more grand and more tasteless than the one before. Thankfully the ocean was simply grand. The Warriors were not as they fumbled, tumbled and slumbered to a loss against the Titans of Gold Coast. Mrs. Miyake was so impressed by the Coast, she said she would like to spend a year there with her husband. Connie's cousin Susan accompanied us for the day and came back and took part in the Karaoke spectacular at Calam Vale. Fortunately no video was taken of that interesting singing. Leo

gold coast cartwheels

2009-07-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

We started down the highway to the Gold Coast with my fit Aunty Susan to spend the day. We ate lunch while looking at the merina where we decided which boat we would buy. Shops lined the boardwalk as we walked down to the chocolate shop, where we had authentic hot chocolate, lattes and mocchas. Aunty Susan then leaded us to the Plazzo Versace for a toilet break using the 24 carrat gold taps. We walked through another hotel to reach the beach for shells and fun. Ryan, Dad, Aunty Susan and I competed in Urgh! (a game where you have to hold a handstand for the longest time), cartwheel and wheelbarrow races. Mum and I headed home to prepare a four course meal while Uncle Leo, Dad, Aunty Susan, Mrs Miyake and Ryan went to see the football. Enough from me! Emma :-)

outback spectacular

2009-07-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

The drive to the show was as smooth as silk, although there was an annoying yapping noise coming from the navigator's seat (Leo). Leo headed straight to the bar, very focused, on a Cascade beer; I was forced to drink a gin & tonic and Mrs Miyake had a tassie beer. I enjoyed the helicopter performance, Leo liked the free hat and wine, and Mrs Miyake had a memorable aussie experience. We met the lead actor (I think he might have had botox), took lots of photos and went home happy! Connie

forest skywalk

2009-07-06T02:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the Tamborine Skywalk. Wow the skywalk is thirty metres high and some of us were experiencing vertigo (not mentionng any names, mum). Even more of us got scared when one of us started rocking the walk (actually don't know) and one of the staff told us to stop rocking the walk. Well anyway that is enough for me. Ryan

brisbane arrival

2009-07-06T01:39:00.000-07:00

Eiko Miyake (Mrs. Bluehair) and I arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday 24th June.
Connie very kindly got up realllllly early and picked us up. Brisbane is cool and sunny. Perfect for sightseeing and for eating & drinking.

meguro in june

2009-07-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

The church and grounds have been looking pretty good this year. Finally every single room in the parish center is in use and the gardens are bright and colourful. So I can head off with no worries.

starting the journey

2009-07-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

This sumnmer (northern) I arranged to have two months off. This blog is my first attempt to enter into the brave new world of blogs, tweets and keeping in touch. It will be a communal effort from all the friends and family along the way.