Volcano Book

Getting some inspiration for my lava quest.

I had to go into Manchester for the dentist after school and as I had a bit of time to kill I popped into a remaindered book shop. I was quite excited to find a hardback book full of colour pictures of volcanoes for £2.99.

I first got interested in volcanoes when I travelled in Indonesia a couple of years ago. I saw several steaming, grumbling and smoking volcanoes but no actual lava. The nearest I got was Merapi which is really active. You have to go with a guide if you want to go into the danger zone (very Top Gun) but even with a guide it’s not possible to go to the rim which is in the forbidden zone. The morning I was there it was spewing lava. I could hear it grumbling. I could feel it rumbling beneath my feet. But did I see lava? No. The morning I was there the lava was pouring out of the other side! So now I’m on a lava quest.

In recent years both Merapi and Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland which I saw the following year, have had full blown eruptions. I missed both. Just to rub salt into my wounds I got stuck in Antwerp over Easter last year because of the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud. Not that that was such a bad thing. I got an extra week off work and got time to explore Antwerp. But both times I missed the lava. One day I’ll see it, I know I will.

Becoming a Writer

Making decisions about a writing course.

I’ve always liked the idea of being a writer – work when and where you want to, write about things you’re interested in, get to do things that other people don’t, and so on. However, I realise that I might not like the reality as much as I like the idea. Having constant deadlines, having to write in a way an editor wants me to rather than the way I want to, trying to sell my work, and so on. But unless I try I’ll never know. A few years ago I started to think more seriously about this and managed to get paid £100 for a 200 word article I wrote for the Times Educational Supplement. Then life got incredibly busy again and I never got round to writing anything else. I’ve always kept travel diaries, but haven’t really written anything else. So if I do get seriously involved in writing I think it would have to be travel writing in some form or other (I would include outdoor activity type writing in with this though).

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Motorbikes

The pros and cons of learning to ride a motorbike.

I’ve always liked the idea of riding a motorbike – having all that power in my hand and being open to the elements instead of hidden away in the tin box that is a car. I’ve been on the back of few bikes and it’s been ok but nothing special. I want to be in control. In the last couple of years I’ve had a go at driving (riding?) a skidoo and a quadbike and enjoyed both. Continue reading “Motorbikes”

Web Design Course

Why I want to learn how to create my own website.

Ever since I first started learning how to use a computer in the latter half of the 1990s I’ve enjoyed them, found them fascinating and wanted to learn more. As I’ve got more and more hooked on the internet I’ve wanted to understand more about how it works and how it is put together. So this is one reason for my enrolling in a web design course. The other reason is so I can put together my own website for the hostel I plan to own one day. Continue reading “Web Design Course”

Drums and Drumming

I want to be able to legitimately bash the hell out of something.

I don’t play any musical instruments but have always felt that I should. That it would make me a more complete person in some way. I’m not naturally musical and actually think I’m tone deaf, but why should I let a little thing like that stop me.

I’m interested in a few instruments such as the guitar, piano and violin, but the one that really interests me is the drums. I love the sound of drums and there’s just something appealing about having a legitimate reason to bash the hell out of something. What a way to get rid of any frustrations!

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Cycling Japan

Why cycling round Japan might be a good idea.

I’ve wanted to go to Japan for years. I have Japanese friends who returned to live there a few years ago and visiting them gives me even more of a reason to go to Japan. Why haven’t I gone already?

  • When I’ve had time to go on holiday I’ve been busy visiting other places instead
  • I’d like to go for long(ish) time and so haven’t had long enough holidays off work
  • It’s very expensive
  • It’s difficult to get around and really do anything without knowing the language and a lot about the culture.

So, if I’m going to get around to ticking this one off my list I have to get over these four main issues.

The first one isn’t so major. I’ll make time for it at some point. I have plenty of time to get to all the main places I want to visit before I’m 60 and still have time to visit others as well.

Now I’m a teacher I have 6 weeks holiday in the summer. Spring and autumn are meant to be the nicest times to go as I’d get to see either the blossoms or the autumn leaves. But I could cope with missing out on those as long as I got to see the country. I’m not sure if even 6 weeks would be long enough, but I may get even more time in the future if my hostel and freelancing life plans work out. So issue no.2 is fast disappearing. 

The expense is a problem I still have to really deal with. Some people say it’s not as expensive as I think especially if I’m not staying in luxury hotels. Which I definitely wouldn’t be. I recently read an article in a travel magazine about cycling round part of Japan. Now that would be a really cheap way to get about. I could camp (hopefully – I don’t know much about the camping situtation in Japan), carry lots of packets of instant noodles, and get to out of the way places without it costing me anything.

The problem with the cycling solution is I’ve never ridden really long distances before and never carried all my gear on a bike. I would like to do this though, which is why doing a long distance cycle tour is also on my list of things to do. By doing my cycle tour in Japan I could tick off 2 challenges in one go. So now, I need to think about practising and training. I bought a cycle rack for my car at Christmas so I can take my bike out to the Peak District and cycle some of the converted railway track trails. I do want to cover these as they are very scenic, but they make for boring walking. They will make a good start for my cycle training though. As I’m too busy to even get out walking or go to the gym at the moment I don’t know when this will happen, but hopefully before the summer.

The fourth issue with my going to Japan is the culture and language. I have a friend who is a Japanophile (is there a proper word for that?) and has studied the language for years. Even she had lots of difficulties when she visited. The language is written in a mix of Japanese, Western and Chinese characters. Although she knew the Japanese and Western characters, all the Chinese characters made things very hard to read. Also there are so many rules for every little thing you do. Because foreigners don’t know the etiquette it makes it very difficult to achieve even half of what a Japanese person can in the time, and there are many things you miss out on completely.

Starting my visit by staying with my Japanese friends may be a good move as I can learn a lot from them. Akiko is pretty adventurous and not your typical Japanese woman so she may even be persuaded to do a bit of travelling with me. I’ll need to learn a bit of the language, though I have no plans for that just now. I’m studying a couple of other things at the moment and need to get them out of the way before I take anything else on. I can make a start on the culture though. I’m not starting from zero as I already know quite a bit (not nearly enough, but more than your average British person). I’ve just bought The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture which is a bit out of date but still a good place to start according to the reviews on Amazon. I must also read my Josie Dew books about her cycle tours of Japan. I like her books but I’ve never got round to reading these two even though I’ve owned them for years.

And still on the cycling theme – I’ve just come back from the Netherlands which is the world’s most cycle friendly country. As I go there most years, I could do a bit cycle tour training there. There are plenty of places it would be great to cycle round for a few days and I could carry all my gear to practice. I’ve done some cycling there in the past (including this visit) so I know how easy it is. A great place to start.

So these are my Japan visiting and cycle touring plans so far. When I start writing them down like this I feel like I’m actually getting somewhere. When they are just ideas swimming around in my head it doesn’t feel like I’m actually doing anything towards my goals. But actually, they are all ticking over all the time in the back of my mind.

Mud Walking

I fancy getting thigh-deep in mud.

I’ve just returned from the Netherlands where I spent almost a week staying with a friend in Amsterdam. This has got me thinking again about wadlopen or mud walking. There is a line of islands along the northern coastlines of the Netherlands and Germany. When the tide is low it is possible to walk with a guide along the mud flats and even from one island to the next. These are challenging walks that can take up to 4 hours to complete and involve wading through cold sandy mud. Sometimes thigh deep. On a Dutch person. Dutch people are tall. I’m not tall.

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Floatation

I want some sensory deprivation.

I first read about floatation tanks in a newspaper article years ago.

Although I read it in the UK the tanks were in New Zealand. Having never been to any sort of spa or having done anything like this before, I loved the idea and resolved to have a go when I got to New Zealand. Continue reading “Floatation”

BBC – The Big Read

A list within a list – 200 books to read covering a variety of authors, genres and times.

In April, 2003 the BBC decided to search for the nation’s best loved novel. Through a voting system they came up with the top 200 novels. This was then shortened to the top 100 novels. I’ve read quite a few of these books already and have enjoyed most of them. By reading the whole of the long list I’m expecting to discover authors and books that I will enjoy but might not have otherwise thought of reading. And it’s a list within my list. And I do like lists.

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Ballooning

Musing about taking a hot air balloon flight.

I arrived in Germany on Saturday evening and as we sat down around my brother’s kitchen table to eat dinner, a hot air balloon floated past the window. It’s the lowest I’ve seen one. We could even see inside the basket. It was a beautiful warm evening and it seemed so idyllic to be floating about over the vineyards.

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