Tag Archives: Travel

Ten Lessons for Round-the-World Travel. Arriving in Seoul, South Korea

Our plane arrived at Incheon Airport, Seoul, in June 2019 after a long and uneventful flight from Seattle. This was the first stop on the second round-the-world trip for my wife, son (age 19), daughter (age 14), and me. We learned many things the first time around, and we implemented our lessons during our second time around. Here are ten lessons:

Arrive during daylight hours, if possible. Check! We arrived at 4:30 PM on a Wednesday afternoon. It feels easier to find your way around an unfamiliar place with light in the sky. Daylight helps you get your bearings and visually scan a place. You can make it in the dark, of course, but arriving with daylight feels better to us.
Have WiFi or mobile phone service so you can connect to maps and webpages. Check! I made sure my mobile phone was unlocked before leaving home. At Incheon Airport, you can choose from multiple WiFi vendors. After talking with the sales staff, I decided on a unit that would last for the duration of our stay. Staff members helped me set up the mobile WiFi and check it before I left.
Choose accommodations close to public transportation. Check! We rented an Airbnb apartment accessible by AREX Train from Incheon Airport. AREX is a commuter rail line connecting Incheon to Seoul, and it has two types of trains.The AREX Express Train runs from Incheon Station nonstop to Seoul Station in about forty-five minutes. The AREX All-Stop Train stops at eleven stations between Incheon and Seoul Station and takes about an hour. We took the All-Stop Train to Hongik University Station, and the trip was quiet and easy.
Each person is responsible for carrying her or his own luggage. Check! We limit our luggage to one carry-on bag and one backpack. We have chosen the Rick Steves Rolling Backpack because it has wheels to pull behind and, if necessary, straps to carry it on one’s back. It’s lightweight and durable — both important qualities after flying for several hours and trying to find one’s accommodations in a new place!
Find your accommodations as quickly as possible, get water and food, and begin to learn the area. Check! Our Airbnb host provided excellent directions, which we followed to find the apartment about a ten-minute walk from the station. Of course, we made the inevitable wrong turns along the way. But honestly, that’s part of the fun of travelling! After depositing our bags, we used mobile WiFi to find the nearest market.
Drink as much water as possible. Check! We each carry a water bottle while travelling and intentionally drink water throughout the day. During a long flight or a day of exploring, it’s easy to get dehydrated. So, locate good drinking water, and drink up! Our apartment had filtered water, which is a big plus and money saver!
Eat in as much as possible to save money. Check! In most places, you can purchase groceries in local markets or stores and eat at home with substantial savings. We found a small grocery store about a fifteen-minute walk away from our apartment. Going to a local store is part of the fun of travelling for us. Trying to figure out labels in different languages is a challenge. Looking for familiar items is nice (We’ve found taco mix and spaghetti sauce in nearly every place we’ve ever visited on six continents!), but trying something new and specific to the place you’re visiting is a great way to learn about life there.
Add some comfort food or special treat. Check! I look for local desserts in stores. At relatively low cost, you can purchase cookies or snacks unavailable at home. Trying new foods is part of the adventure. Are they always winners? Of course not! But, usually they are very good. If the locals didn’t like them, vendors wouldn’t sell them, right?
To help avoid jet lag, stay awake until bedtime in your new place — and get outside as much as possible. Check! After dinner, we went for a walk around the Hongdae neighborhood of Seoul. Hongdae is home to Honggik University, a leading fine arts college in South Korea. The neighborhood has many shops, street vendors, and young people. It was fun to look around, stroll amidst the vibrant people, and fight the urge to sleep.
Wear ear plugs while sleeping in a new place. Check! Even though we are pretty tired on our first night in a new place, the new noises can keep us from sleeping or wake us earlier than we want the next morning. We take ear plugs to provide much-needed sleep on arrival.

After arriving, finding food and water, and getting a good night’s sleep, we were ready for our adventures in Seoul. More on that in the next blog post!

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther

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In 1483, Martin Luther was born on this day, November 10, in the town of Eisleben. He is well known for posting his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517 and sparking the Protestant Reformation. He was a leader both revered and reviled, and in his wake the trajectory of history was altered in ways that still resonate nearly 500 years later.

Many times, I have joined with other Protestant Christians to sing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” as we have celebrated Reformation Sunday. On such occasions, it is easy to forget that, in addition to his leadership in the Reformation, Luther also was deeply human and filled with fears, joys, and frustrations.

I resonate most with Luther as the person who mixed hope with struggle, challenge with delight.

Luther’s decision to enter the monastery was made in fear. Caught in a severe thunderstorm, Luther called to St. Anne for help and promised to become a monk if he survived. True to his word, born of fear, Luther entered the monastery in Erfurt in 1505. Many of Luther’s days were consumed with fearful self flagellation and longing for salvation.

Beyond his fears, however, Luther also knew joy. Perhaps his source of greatest joy was his family. He married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, and together they had six children. By all accounts, they had a loving and happy marriage. Though finances often were tight, Luther said, “My Katie is in all things so obliging and pleasing to me that I would not exchange my poverty for the riches of Croesus.”

As a husband and father, I share Luther’s delight in his spouse and children. A few years ago, our family visited Luther’s home. I could picture him sitting around the table filling the room with music and talk.

While I love Luther the happy husband and doting father, I also am honest to say that I can relate to Luther at his points of frustration.

Just a few days before his death in February 1546, Luther traveled from Wittenberg to his hometown, Eisleben, to mediate a dispute. While in Eisleben, Luther preached his final sermon.

It is estimated that Luther preached 7,000 sermons during his lifetime, but for what became his last sermon, only five people were present. Luther was mightily frustrated. He wrote to a friend despairing that he had been part of a failed Reformation. In the bitter winter of February 1546, the great preacher preached in a nearly empty church building.

Just a few days later, Luther went to bed with chest pains. He prayed the prayer found in Psalm 31:5, “Into your hand, I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me O Lord, faithful God.”

In the hours after midnight, Luther’s pain increased, and the hour of his death was near. He was asked, “Reverend father, are you ready to die trusting in your Lord Jesus Christ and to confess the doctrine you have taught in His name?”

“Yes,” he replied.

Best Chinese Food Ever!

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A few years ago, a teenager from our town traveled with her orchestra to China. Upon her return, I asked about her favorite memories. A big smile came across her face, and she said, “The food!” She quickly added, “I love our local Chinese restaurant, but the food in China was so much better.”

While traveling in China with my family, I enjoyed lots of delicious food. And with each great meal, I thought of that young lady. I agree with her; the food in China is delicious!

We had a number of delicious and memorable culinary experiences in China. While in Beijing, we stayed in an AirBnB apartment owned by an American family and run by Holly, a wonderful Chinese woman.

My wife, Lisa, with our Beijing host, Holly

We told Holly how much we love dumplings, and she agreed to teach us how to make them. She started with a trip to a local market, which I never could have found on my own. Walking from our apartment, we ventured off the main road and turned into a small side street that became a walking path. Eventually, we entered a nondescript building that held a bustling market filled with local produce and baked goods.

Then, we returned to our apartment where Holly led a cooking class for our family. She taught us to make the filling, which included pork, cabbage, carrots, onions, spices, vinegar, and soy sauce stir fried in the wok.

Then, she taught us how to mix flour and water with chopsticks until the dough was firm and ready to knead. Holly pinched off small bits, rolled them out, filled them, and cooked them in a pot of boiling water.

Then, we joined other Chinese friends from the neighborhood around the kitchen table eating lots of dumplings. Delicious and memorable!

We received another cooking lesson while in Beijing. We went to Mama’s Lunch for a dumpling and noodle lesson. Our gracious host and excellent teacher, Joyce, greeted us with tea and snacks before beginning the class. We made regular dumplings as well as green dumplings with spinach water and orange dumplings from pumpkin water. In addition to the traditional filling of pork and spices, Joyce taught us how to make a filling of scrambled eggs with chives.

We then shared a feast of boiled and fried dumplings. Delicious!

In addition to our cooking classes, we enjoyed wonderful meals in two restaurants. In Beijing, we shared a ten-course dinner at Black Sesame Kitchen that included five flavored eggplant, shredded lettuce stem, and black sesame ice for dessert! The restaurant is located in a hutong, a traditional neighborhood with narrow alleys and courtyard residences. The meal was pretty expensive, but it was a great treat for our family.

Finally, in Shanghai, we had a great meal of Xiaolongbao, soup dumplings cooked in steamer baskets. We ate at Din Tai Fung, a restaurant chain with several stores around Shanghai and other cities around the world. All dumplings have a thin skin and sixteen delicate folds, and they are filled with various broths. We especially loved the pork dumplings and the crab dumplings.

I still love Chinese food at home, but I have to agree with the young lady from our town. These meals in Beijing and Shanghai were the Best Chinese Food Ever!

Experiencing China with Locals

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During our round-the-world adventure, we have tried to experience life as much like local people as possible. While we know this is impossible, we still think it provides an important glimpse into the lives of the people we encounter in different places. Rick Steves, the travel specialist, calls this traveling through the back door.

The goal of living as much like locals as possible has shaped many decisions during our trip. For example, we have chosen to stay in people’s homes rather than in hotels. By house sitting in South Africa, France, New Zealand, and Australia, we have lived in the homes of wonderful people and befriended their neighbors, which has been a very special gift during our travels. When not house sitting, we have booked apartments and rooms through AirBnB, which has meant that we lived in ordinary apartments in regular neighborhoods.

My wife, Lisa, with our Beijing host, Holly

We also have taken public transportation as much as possible. While we could have taken taxis to get from Point A to Point B, we have climbed aboard city buses and subways along with local people. More than simply helping our budget, this has allowed us to stand side-by-side with locals making their way to work or school or the market.

We also have spent time walking the streets in cities and towns that have been our home. We have shopped at local markets and joined in local celebrations. Through our stumbling attempts to speak different languages and a comical series of charades acting out our words, we have communicated with people across the world. And, with very, very few exceptions, we have found people everywhere to be kind, caring, and helpful.

While in Beijing, China, we went to Tiananmen Square. Rather than joining a tour group, we took the excellent Beijing Metro from our apartment to Tiananmen Square. And, we timed our visit to coincide with the flag-lowering ceremony at sunset. About an hour before sunset, a crowd began forming around the large flag in Tiananmen Square near the Forbidden City. Once the ceremony began, we were some of the very few international people in the crowd of 1,000 or more.

Chinese Flag in Tiananmen Square

As soldiers lowered the flag and marched with it to the Forbidden City, I could see the pride on the faces of Chinese people with whom I was standing. I thought of times I have enjoyed patriotic celebrations in the United States, my home country, and I was reminded that love of one’s home land is prevalent around the world.

By encountering life with locals, my wife, our children, and I have learned that people the world over are far more alike than they are different. In China, people live under a different social and political system than the one I know in the United States, but when I rode with them on buses or the Metro, when I shopped with them at markets, and when I saw them taking their children to school, I realized anew that our deepest concerns and most of our daily activities are really very similar.

Great Times in Sydney

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One of the highlights of our round-the-world adventure has been spending time with my parents, first in Israel/Palestine in October and second in Sydney in April. We planned our travel to coincide with my parents’ trip to Sydney, and we had a great time together. We spent many hours laughing and making jokes as we always do, and oh yeah, we also saw some great sites.

We met Mom and Dad at Sydney Airport after their long flight from the United States, and they were amazingly awake and cheerful. Rather than resting for a couple of hours as we had anticipated, they were ready to tour the city. We had a great introduction to Sydney thanks to I’m Free Tours. The idea is that you take the free tour, in our case a two-and-a-half hour overview of the city, without paying. Then, you tip the guide at the end. It was great, and I recommend it to anyone in Sydney.

On Sunday, Mom and Dad were up early (just like at home), and we joined St. Stephen’s Uniting Church for Palm Sunday worship. On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Bondi Beach for the beautiful walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach.

On Monday, we headed west to the Blue Mountains where we saw the Three Sisters rock formation. I learned that the blue in the Blue Mountains comes from oils released by eucalyptus trees.

We visited Featherdale Wildlife Park so Mom and Dad could see koalas and kangaroos.

We learned about Aboriginal culture on a Sydney Harbor cruise with the Tribal Warrior Association, which provides education for indigenous and non-indigenous people. We listened to a didgeridoo, practiced indigenous dances, and learned about Aboriginal peoples in Sydney and beyond.

We enjoyed Sydney Harbor and shared a picnic in the Royal Botanic Garden.

The highlight of our time came from two performances at the Sydney Opera House. The first was J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion inside the opera house, and the second was Verdi’s Aida on the harbor with the opera house as the backdrop.

Jesus’ words sung in Bach’s St. John Passion were deeply moving: “Es ist vollbracht!” “It is accomplished!” And the chorus’ words, “Ruht wohl” (“Rest well”), shaped my experience of Holy Week.

Aida was on a grand scale. The head of Nefertiti, which towers over the stage, is eighteen meters (nearly sixty feet) tall. The show was outside in the elements, and the pouring rain, whose arrival coincided with the Triumphal March, only made our experience more memorable. We donned ponchos and stayed until the end when Aida and Radames died as the orchestra’a music faded away.

Our time ended in Circular Quay when we took Mom and Dad to their cruise ship. Happily aboard, they can rest, and we will too! But we will have wonderful memories of our time Down Under.

Great Barrier Reef

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The Great Barrier Reef was at the top of our list of things to do in Australia, and our time there exceeded our expectations. We decided to stay in Cairns, Queensland. Despite being chased by Cyclone Nathan (see my earlier blog post), we loved our time in Cairns with its warm weather, delicious tropical fruit, and friendly people.

From Cairns, we traveled by large catamaran to Green Island to spend three wonderful days at the Green Island Resort (one of the few splurges during our round-the-world adventure). Green Island is about 27 kilometers (nearly 17 miles) off the coast of Cairns. While at the resort, we enjoyed snorkeling, glass-bottom boat rides, wind surfing, nature walks, star gazing, and sea kayaking. We saw many beautiful fish such as groupers and reef sharks and many Green Sea Turtles.

During one of our days at Green Island, we traveled to Norman Reef, which is farther offshore and has greater visibility in the water. The highlight of our time there was snorkeling. All four of us donned stinger suits, which protect you from jelly fish. The suits are skin tight and keep no secrets. Someone said that they are effective because jelly fish are too busy laughing at you to sting you.

While trying to get into my stinger suit, I nearly pulled a muscle and eventually laughed so hard that I cried. My wife, son, and daughter heard me grunting and groaning while trying to get into my suit. After much effort, I finally had both legs covered, but I could only fit one arm in the suit. And, the suit was so tight that I could not stand up straight. Finally, I came out of the bathroom bent over and pleading for help. My wife tried to pull the suit over my shoulder to insert my second arm, but it would not budge. At that point, I looked at my ten-year-old daughter, Rachel, standing quite comfortably beside me in a very baggy stinger suit. Then, I realized that we had switched suits. By this point, I was doubled over laughing with tears streaming down my face. After much effort to get out of Rachel’s suit (I’m not sure if it was harder to get into the tiny suit or to get our of it…), I put on my adult-size suit and was ready to snorkel.

It was glorious! I have been snorkeling in a number of places, and I enjoy it very much. But, this was spectacular! The colors were vibrant, the varieties of coral amazing, and the fish plentiful. I loved floating at the surface, silently watching fish and looking at the beautiful coral. Just then, I experienced the highlight of snorkeling — and indeed of my time at the Great Barrier Reef.

I was all alone when I spotted a Green Sea Turtle feeding about two meters (six feet) below me in the water. I spent a long time watching the turtle feed below the surface and come up for air. I thought, “I wish Lisa, Jonathan, and Rachel could see this.” I looked around and, thankfully, spotted them. They swam over, and together, all four of us spent a long time watching this amazing creature.

For me, the highlight was not only being so close to such a beautiful animal but also sharing this experience with my wife, son, and daughter. I thought, “This experience — and these moments together — have been worth all the effort to get here.”

Chased by a Cyclone

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As we prepared to travel to Cairns, Australia, for our visit to the Great Barrier Reef, a news item caught our attention. Almost in passing, the television news anchor said, “A tropical cyclone is off the coast of northern Queensland.” We paid close attention and learned about Tropical Cyclone Nathan, which would become our companion and nemesis for several days.

Because we are veterans of hurricanes on Florida’s Gulf Coast, we know to keep an eye on the storm forecast while making our plans. And we know that such plans are subject to change if a storm changes direction.

As we arrived at Trinity Beach, just north of Cairns, Nathan was offshore churning west toward the coast. The waves were higher than normal with plenty of rain, but Nathan then veered north and started heading away from land.

As planned, we travelled to Green Island and Norman Reef (more on our time on the Great Barrier Reef in a future blog post). While at Green Island with its beautiful weather, I saw the newspaper headline, “Second Coming,” warning of Nathan’s u-turn and return toward land.

Our time at Green Island was excellent, but the twenty-seven kilometer catamaran ride back to Cairns was rocky and windy. The crew was helpful and kindly provided seasickness bags to many passengers. Thankfully, we did not need them!

We returned to Trinity Beach and waited. We regularly checked the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s website for updates. After heading away a few days before, Nathan was coming back even stronger. The storm was expected to intensify to a Category 3 or 4 Cyclone.

We joined heaps of Australians at the market buying bottled water and canned food. It reminded me of empty shelves of milk and bread when snow is forecast in the American South. Our host graciously said that we could come to her hillside home should the storm bear down on us.

What happened?

Tropical Cyclone Nathan eventually turned north and came ashore far away from us. We had periods of rain and higher than usual tides, but these gave us a great chance to catch up on reading as we enjoyed canned food and delicious bottles of water. After a couple of days, the skies cleared, the waves settled down, and beautiful weather returned.

All was well!

Ten Things I Loved about Japan

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Our family had a great time in Japan. While I loved many things about Japan, here are ten things I especially loved:

1. Excellent Rail System

During our round-the-world trip, we often have rented cars to travel in different countries. I am a big proponent of public transportation, but with four travelers, it often is cheaper to have a rental car than to buy tickets for each one of us. Plus, a rental car provides flexibility. In Japan, however, we used the train system to travel, and it was a great decision for our family. We purchased a Japan Rail Pass, which you must buy outside of Japan, and it allowed us to travel between major cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. At times, such as in Hiroshima, the JR Pass allowed us to travel on buses, and in Tokyo, we used our JR Pass on many subway lines. We also used the JR Pass to travel by monorail to Tokyo’s Narita Airport for our departing flight. It was well worth the expense and saved us considerable time and money.

2. Shinkansen (Bullet Trains)

While the bullet trains are part of the rail system, they deserve special mention. All four of us are big fans of the bullet trains! We loved the fast and smooth rides as we traveled around the country. Here’s a tip: if you arrive at a station with enough time, you may stop by a ticket office and get a reserved seat on the bullet train, which we did on a number of occasions. If you are rushing to make a train, which you can be sure will depart right on time, then you can ride in certain cars without a reserved seat. We did this a number of times, and it was just as comfortable.

3. Biking around Kyoto

During our stay at the Apple House in Kyoto (a house we highly recommend with a wonderful host, Hiroko James,), we used two bicycles that Hiroko provided and rented two more bikes. We pedaled our way around Kyoto, which was both good exercise and a fantastic way to see the city. It is easy to park a bike nearly anywhere in Kyoto. In many cases, you can simply park outside a building on the sidewalk with other bikes, or you may use bicycle parking stations located throughout the city.

4. Japanese Food

We ate, and ate, and ate across Japan. And the food was delicious! From a Japanese breakfast at Ryokan Yamakazi (a traditional Japanese inn); to sushi; to noodles; to Syojin Ryori, Buddhist vegetarian cuisine at Shukubo Eko-in Temple in Koyasan; to steamed buns; to dumplings and tempura, the food was excellent. Here’s a tip: for the best prices, purchase excellent prepared food in grocery stores or in food markets on the bottom floors of department stores. I loved Japanese food before visiting the country; I crave it now! (In fact, I had it for lunch today!)

5. Japanese Architecture

Thankfully, we were able to stay at places with traditional features such as tatami (straw mats), futon (sleeping mattresses), shoji (sliding doors), and sento (Japanese baths). Loved them!

6. Samurai

We learned about samurai, military nobility of feudal Japan, who are not to be confused with ninja, more mercenary fighters. We had a great time at Samurai Kembo in Kyoto. It’s a bit expensive, but if you have a chance to go, I encourage you to do it. We are glad we did!

7. Japanese Traditions

Thanks to my wife, Lisa, who took the lead in organizing and booking our Japanese trip, we enjoyed special experiences of the Japanese Tea Ceremony and Kimono. All four of us participated in a tea ceremony, and in another adventure, Lisa and our daughter, Rachel, were dressed in Kimono.

8. History

I have written in a previous blog post about our trip to Hiroshima, which was chilling and moving, and I am grateful to learn more about this part of Japan’s history. Japan’s history, of course, is much, much longer, wider, and deeper than World War II, and I loved learning more about Japanese history with special attention to its religious history.

Floating Torii gate at Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, Miyajima

9. Japanese Machines

If there is a way to enhance life through automation, I think the Japanese have found it. We loved the ubiquitous vending machines, which dispensed both hot and cold drinks from the same machine. Some vending machines will even scan your body and suggest the drink you should select. While the vending machines were fun and nice, the Japanese toilets were the best machine by far! With a number of features such as heated seats and built in warm-water bidet functions, Japanese toilets are the best I have ever encountered. We are trying to determine how we can have one installed in our home in the United States.

Notice the hand washing basin at the top of the toilet

10. Kindness of People

We fell in love with Japanese people. We left Japan with new friends who showered us with kindness: Hiroko James, Naoto Nakamura, and Ryuichi Tsubuku. We also were treated with kindness by countless people such as fellow passengers on trains, workers at markets, officials at train stations, and one dear man who took about fifteen minutes to walk us through streets of Tokyo to show us our destination. While we bowed and said, “Arigato, Thank you,” it was not nearly enough to convey our true gratitude for their kindness.

Koyasan, Japan

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My wife, Lisa, in our room

After an excellent trip on Japan’s amazing train system, we rode the funicular up Mount Koya to Koyasan. February temperatures were cold, and snow covered the ground.

Koyasan was founded 1200 years ago by the Buddhist priest Kukai who was posthumously known as Kobu Daishi, and it remains an active monastic center in Esoteric Buddhism. Many of the temples receive guests in a Shukubo, an accommodation that is part of their activities, and we stayed at Shukubo Eko-in Temple.

The temple grounds are peaceful, and our accommodations were excellent. We appreciated many traditional Japanese details such as shoji (sliding doors), straw tatami mats on the floor, sleeping on futons, kotatsu (a low table on the floor with a heater underneath to keep your legs warm), green tea, yukata (casual robes), wearing slippers after removing our shoes, and onsen (hot baths with natural mineral water supplied from the Koyasan mountains).

Goma Fire Ritual

Guests are invited to participate in the temple’s services, and we joined monks and other guests in an evening meditation service, which they graciously led in English as well as Japanese. As we meditated, I could see my breath in the cold air of the temple. The following morning, we attended the main morning service and a Goma Fire Ritual, which is believed to have cleansing effects physically and spiritually.

The delicious food was Syojin Ryori, Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, and we were served on trays in a private dining room.

One of my highlights was sitting with my children in worship experiences that were very different from those they have known in our Christian church. They noted both similarities (candles, sacred books, prayers, monetary offerings) and differences (sitting on the floor, a drum and gong, food on the altar, Buddhist monks).

Photo of dinner taken by my son, Jonathan

One of my hopes in our round-the-world adventure is to allow our children to experience things that are both similar to and different from their regular lives — and to find that good things occur in a variety of places.

I think that happened at Shukubo Eko-in Temple.

Snow skiing in Japan

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Before our children, Jonathan and Rachel, were born, my wife, Lisa, and I loved to go snow skiing. One of the many joys of living in New England for a dozen years was easy access to the slopes of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. While Lisa was pregnant with our first child, we decided to skip a season of skiing, and before we knew it, fifteen years had passed since we hit the slopes.

Family Ski Lesson

While traveling around the world, we have tried to introduce new things to our children while also experiencing them ourselves. While in Japan, our family agreed that snow skiing should be added to our list of adventures. We traveled to the area around Nagano, the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. We settled in Hakuba, which hosted the women’s and men’s downhill skiing championships during the Olympics. (This was more an interesting fact than anything affecting our lives because we never ventured near the Olympic ski trails!)

We rented a ski-in, ski-out apartment (a first for us, which was surprisingly affordable) at Hakuba Goryu Ski Area. We rented our equipment (which you don’t easily pack while travelling around the world), signed up for a family ski lesson on our first day, and began a wonderful time.

Jonathan on ski slopes

The conditions were incredible! Several feet of snow blanketed the ground when we arrived, about a foot of new snow fell during our first night, and powder was plentiful. We told our children not to expect such great skiing conditions every time they ski in the future.

Workers were wonderful with our children, public announcements were made in both Japanese and English, we had fun shopping in a Japanese market, and our time on the slopes went even better than we could have imagined. Both of our children learned something new, and they are now very good skiers. Rachel enjoyed an obstacle course on skis, and Jonathan ventured to the top of the mountain and skied all the way down! Lisa and I became reacquainted with skiing, and we realized that we still can do it — and we still love it.

Rachel and Lisa on the slopes

And, most importantly, our family created memories that will last a lifetime.

Now, we are talking about plans for our next skiing adventure.

At Home Traveling

On Florida's Emerald Coast and Around the World

Tag Archives: Travel

Ten Lessons for Round-the-World Travel. Arriving in Seoul, South Korea

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther

Best Chinese Food Ever!

Experiencing China with Locals

Great Times in Sydney

Great Barrier Reef

Chased by a Cyclone

Ten Things I Loved about Japan

Koyasan, Japan

Snow skiing in Japan