Wow, I'm getting behind on this blog! The usual vacation stuff: intermittent Internet access mixed with a general lack of time. What times I have been able to connect I've been trying to catch up on some joint work I've been doing that seems to be progressing nicely. Anyway, I'll probably do what I did with Australia--do a delayed time blogging of what's been happening. Which is quite a bit!
Of course, that will have to wait until after next week, when I'm going to the joint AMS and MAA meetings. And after that the Spring semester starts, time to get back into the lecturing mode.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Christmas vacation
Merry Christmas vacation!
Is there any happier time of year to travel than the Friday before Christmas when much of the country is under a snowstorm? Of course not! I think the extra three hours of waiting for my flight brought myself and my fellow passengers closer together as people, and bonded us in only the way extreme boredom can.
Unfortunately, my Mom and Don have been delayed as well. What once was a hope of a 10:30 pm arrival has morphed into a 12:55 am projected arrival by Southwest. So I was left to brazen the neon lights of Downtown Disney by myself this Friday. Fortunately, at the Lego store, I survived this brief encounter with Lego Santa Claus.
Dinner was at T-Rex, a fun family restaurant in the vein of Rainforest Cafe, but with dinosaurs. Each room was decorated differently, from the fiery caves near the kitchen to an Ice Age room and the tropical room I dined in. Every twenty minutes or so the asteroid hit, and a good time was had by all.
By the way, I immensely enjoyed my flight on Southwest once it got underway. Their flight attendants actually look happy to be flying, which goes a long way even on a short trip. Add to that their comfy seats and enlightened boarding procedure, and they remain one of my favorite carriers.
Is there any happier time of year to travel than the Friday before Christmas when much of the country is under a snowstorm? Of course not! I think the extra three hours of waiting for my flight brought myself and my fellow passengers closer together as people, and bonded us in only the way extreme boredom can.
Unfortunately, my Mom and Don have been delayed as well. What once was a hope of a 10:30 pm arrival has morphed into a 12:55 am projected arrival by Southwest. So I was left to brazen the neon lights of Downtown Disney by myself this Friday. Fortunately, at the Lego store, I survived this brief encounter with Lego Santa Claus.
Dinner was at T-Rex, a fun family restaurant in the vein of Rainforest Cafe, but with dinosaurs. Each room was decorated differently, from the fiery caves near the kitchen to an Ice Age room and the tropical room I dined in. Every twenty minutes or so the asteroid hit, and a good time was had by all.
By the way, I immensely enjoyed my flight on Southwest once it got underway. Their flight attendants actually look happy to be flying, which goes a long way even on a short trip. Add to that their comfy seats and enlightened boarding procedure, and they remain one of my favorite carriers.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Sayonara
That was it! I took the Airport Limited Express down to Osaka the next day. That takes about 75 minutes, and ends with a great curving ride around the bay area. Kansai airport is light and airy, and was a great place to fly out of.
Thirteen hours later, and I entered the US through the port of Detroit. They have a pretty new airport too, and it's not a bad place to fly through. But there's no place like home, and now I'm back in Durham. Until the next trip....
Thirteen hours later, and I entered the US through the port of Detroit. They have a pretty new airport too, and it's not a bad place to fly through. But there's no place like home, and now I'm back in Durham. Until the next trip....
Bamboo!
In the northwest of Kyoto is a stand of Bamboo Forest, and so I jumped on the train out of town and headed for the hills. This being Saturday, there were a number of families doing the same.
First stop was the Tenryu-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with good reason. This is a wonderful spot, with (still another) amazing garden, but also a nice view of the city from the West side.
I next moved on to my Bamboo Forest, which didn't disappoint.
The path through the forest leads to the Okochi Sanso villa, built by a silent film star of samurai movies. It was really a microcosm of Japan: it has its own shrine and teahouse, as well as having even better views of Kyoto.
In the afternoon I took a tour of Nara, the Imperial capital for a few decades before Kyoto. This is notable for the Great Buddha, a bronze cast statue and amazing 15 metres high (the temple was built around it rather than the other way around.) And this goes back to 752, although it was damaged and rebuilt after fires a few times.
The tour of Nara included the deer park, where since the deer are taken to be messengers of the gods, they cannot be hunted. Nowadays the deer do the hunting, for the little deer cookies that the vendors sell. Then there was another great temple that was closing just as our tour group came through.
Next I headed for Gion, the old pleasure district where some geisha (called geiko in Kyoto) still entertain. It was very atmospheric, especially the streets off the main boulevard, which seem mainly devoted to selling midlevel souvenirs to tourists.
I found a restaurant that serves okonomiyaki and teppen, and tried samples of both types of dishes. Okonomiyaki is most similar to a rice pancake, but much larger, denser, and in the case of my meal, with melted cheese on top. Kind of halfway between a pancake and omelet, actually.
A teppen is just an iron plate, and so the food prepared this way is cooked on a simple iron plate. I went for the beef intestine. Very tasty!
First stop was the Tenryu-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with good reason. This is a wonderful spot, with (still another) amazing garden, but also a nice view of the city from the West side.
I next moved on to my Bamboo Forest, which didn't disappoint.
The path through the forest leads to the Okochi Sanso villa, built by a silent film star of samurai movies. It was really a microcosm of Japan: it has its own shrine and teahouse, as well as having even better views of Kyoto.
In the afternoon I took a tour of Nara, the Imperial capital for a few decades before Kyoto. This is notable for the Great Buddha, a bronze cast statue and amazing 15 metres high (the temple was built around it rather than the other way around.) And this goes back to 752, although it was damaged and rebuilt after fires a few times.
The tour of Nara included the deer park, where since the deer are taken to be messengers of the gods, they cannot be hunted. Nowadays the deer do the hunting, for the little deer cookies that the vendors sell. Then there was another great temple that was closing just as our tour group came through.
Next I headed for Gion, the old pleasure district where some geisha (called geiko in Kyoto) still entertain. It was very atmospheric, especially the streets off the main boulevard, which seem mainly devoted to selling midlevel souvenirs to tourists.
I found a restaurant that serves okonomiyaki and teppen, and tried samples of both types of dishes. Okonomiyaki is most similar to a rice pancake, but much larger, denser, and in the case of my meal, with melted cheese on top. Kind of halfway between a pancake and omelet, actually.
A teppen is just an iron plate, and so the food prepared this way is cooked on a simple iron plate. I went for the beef intestine. Very tasty!
Some guys homes really are their castles
The next day I joined another Sunrise tour--this one a 1-day tour of Kyoto. The itinerary was a history buffs dream--first Nijo Castle which the Shogun had built to occasionally keep an eye on the Emperor.
This was followed by a trip to the Golden Pavilion, and yes, that is pretty much a gold covered pavilion surrounded by lovely gardens and a lake that was essentially a mirror the day we were there.
Next off to the Imperial Palace, still the official residence of the Emperor while in Kyoto.
All this in the morning! Then we had two hours at the Kyoto Handicraft Center (essentially an outlet mall for all the souvenirs from the cheap knick-knacks up to the month's salary jewelry.) This was also were we had lunch--a forgettable buffet. I suppose if I hadn't spent two weeks in Japan the idea of all I could drink Coke might have appealed to me, but I had, so it didn't.
The afternoon began with the Heian shrine, followed by a visit to a temple that contained 1000 statues of Kannon. Finally, we hit the biggest draw in town--Kiyamizu-dera, the Buddhist temple built it seemed on the side of a cliff. It was a great day!
This was followed by a trip to the Golden Pavilion, and yes, that is pretty much a gold covered pavilion surrounded by lovely gardens and a lake that was essentially a mirror the day we were there.
Next off to the Imperial Palace, still the official residence of the Emperor while in Kyoto.
All this in the morning! Then we had two hours at the Kyoto Handicraft Center (essentially an outlet mall for all the souvenirs from the cheap knick-knacks up to the month's salary jewelry.) This was also were we had lunch--a forgettable buffet. I suppose if I hadn't spent two weeks in Japan the idea of all I could drink Coke might have appealed to me, but I had, so it didn't.
The afternoon began with the Heian shrine, followed by a visit to a temple that contained 1000 statues of Kannon. Finally, we hit the biggest draw in town--Kiyamizu-dera, the Buddhist temple built it seemed on the side of a cliff. It was a great day!
Third times a charm
Okay, the first two times I tried sushi were also good, but this last place was out of this world.
The conference went two days--after the second day one of the attendees, Tamara Kolda, told me that she still hadn't had a chance to try sushi. She'd looked up a place well away from our hotel in the Lonely Planet Kyoto guide, and the adventure began!
I'm happy to say I only got us lost once or twice, although finding the place once we were on the right street was still nontrivial. But oh so worth it. Other places has a clear counter with the fish laid out for the customers to see. This place has an aquarium where they'd take out something as needed. There was virtually no English spoken, but that's the beauty of sushi--point to the blowfish on the menu, and next thing you know, you're trying a delicacy.
If I remember right, Den Shichi was the name of the place, and it was excellent!
The conference went two days--after the second day one of the attendees, Tamara Kolda, told me that she still hadn't had a chance to try sushi. She'd looked up a place well away from our hotel in the Lonely Planet Kyoto guide, and the adventure began!
I'm happy to say I only got us lost once or twice, although finding the place once we were on the right street was still nontrivial. But oh so worth it. Other places has a clear counter with the fish laid out for the customers to see. This place has an aquarium where they'd take out something as needed. There was virtually no English spoken, but that's the beauty of sushi--point to the blowfish on the menu, and next thing you know, you're trying a delicacy.
If I remember right, Den Shichi was the name of the place, and it was excellent!
CASTA 2008
The conference began the next day, and it was quite a good one. And I'm not just saying that because my talk went very well. Although that never hurts.
No, I'm saying that because these small, focused conferences are a great way to discover what the local research scene is doing while getting to listen to the big guns. And it is small enough that you at least recognize everyone by the end, even if you haven't been formally introduced.
Moreover, two of my good friends were there. Rudy Yoshida was a postdoc at Duke, and I was assigned as her mentor. Since she already had a research program going, that meant more showing her the ropes than doing research together. Now she's at Kentucky. I had seen her a few months back at SAMSI, but it's always good to see people again!
Also, Yuguo Chen was there. He was a grad student at Stanford while I was a postdoc there, and also was at Duke for the first few years as well. We've actually written papers together, so it was great seeing him again. He's at Urbana-Champaign now.
The first night of the conference we had the banquet, and it was at a great restaurant with an exquisite grotto. The food was an umpteen course meal, covering all the breadth of Japanese cuisine. Sushi, sashimi, tofu (which we made right at the table!) and more different foods than I can name were served. The sake was pretty good, too!
No, I'm saying that because these small, focused conferences are a great way to discover what the local research scene is doing while getting to listen to the big guns. And it is small enough that you at least recognize everyone by the end, even if you haven't been formally introduced.
Moreover, two of my good friends were there. Rudy Yoshida was a postdoc at Duke, and I was assigned as her mentor. Since she already had a research program going, that meant more showing her the ropes than doing research together. Now she's at Kentucky. I had seen her a few months back at SAMSI, but it's always good to see people again!
Also, Yuguo Chen was there. He was a grad student at Stanford while I was a postdoc there, and also was at Duke for the first few years as well. We've actually written papers together, so it was great seeing him again. He's at Urbana-Champaign now.
The first night of the conference we had the banquet, and it was at a great restaurant with an exquisite grotto. The food was an umpteen course meal, covering all the breadth of Japanese cuisine. Sushi, sashimi, tofu (which we made right at the table!) and more different foods than I can name were served. The sake was pretty good, too!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Temple central
Kyoto! Imperial capital of Japan for a thousand years, much of which time people were required to register as Buddhists with a local parish. The result: 1600 Buddhist temples, and 300 Shinto shrines. Add to that that Kyoto was one of the few large cities not burned to the ground during WWII, and you have a fascinating city with a reminder of history around every corner.
Before my second conference started, I just had an hour of daylight to see one temple. I chose Nanzen-Ji based on its proximity to a subway station, so I thought it would be easy to find. Even thought it rained continuously, the grounds still had trees turning their autumn colors (although unlike Tokyo, most of the ginko trees had shed their leaves by the time I arrived.)
Of course being Kyoto, there was another temple between Nanzen-Ji and the subway stop: Konchi-In shrine contains a temple as well as a shrine dedicated to the deification of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu built in 1628.
The picture above is "The Crane and Turtle Garden", an expanse of raked white gravel fronting artfully placed stones.
Before my second conference started, I just had an hour of daylight to see one temple. I chose Nanzen-Ji based on its proximity to a subway station, so I thought it would be easy to find. Even thought it rained continuously, the grounds still had trees turning their autumn colors (although unlike Tokyo, most of the ginko trees had shed their leaves by the time I arrived.)
Of course being Kyoto, there was another temple between Nanzen-Ji and the subway stop: Konchi-In shrine contains a temple as well as a shrine dedicated to the deification of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu built in 1628.
The picture above is "The Crane and Turtle Garden", an expanse of raked white gravel fronting artfully placed stones.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Zoom, zoom
My last day in Yokohama I decided to see a zoo with more area to work with--which tends to mean more natural enclosures. The Yokohama Zoo Zooasia is a wonderful zoo that has a far better design than most zoos.
Most zoos fall prey to a classic landscape architecture problem: Paths that branch into two are pleasing to the eye and fun to wander. However, this leads to a problem: if an odd number of paths meet at a point, then it is impossible to cover all of the paths without retracing some of your path.
The Yokohama Zoo has found a great solution to this conundrum (similar to those paths found by optimization methods in Operations Research.) First, build a single path around the zoo intended to be followed that in one goaround allows all the animals to be seen. Second, build in shortcuts across the main path where there are no animals to be seen, but allows visitors to bypass sections of the main route should they desire. The result: a park that for once makes sense and is a joy to walk along.
And the animals are cute too. Earlier I extolled the virtues of the red panda, but the Japanese Macaques have the baby factor going for them.
Next stop was the bullet train--the shinkansen. This was a joy to ride: five minutes after buying my ticket, I was shooting my way towards Kyoto at near 300 km/hr speeds. Still the ride was smoother than an airplane, and you have more legroom to boot. Definitely a nice way to travel.
Most zoos fall prey to a classic landscape architecture problem: Paths that branch into two are pleasing to the eye and fun to wander. However, this leads to a problem: if an odd number of paths meet at a point, then it is impossible to cover all of the paths without retracing some of your path.
The Yokohama Zoo has found a great solution to this conundrum (similar to those paths found by optimization methods in Operations Research.) First, build a single path around the zoo intended to be followed that in one goaround allows all the animals to be seen. Second, build in shortcuts across the main path where there are no animals to be seen, but allows visitors to bypass sections of the main route should they desire. The result: a park that for once makes sense and is a joy to walk along.
And the animals are cute too. Earlier I extolled the virtues of the red panda, but the Japanese Macaques have the baby factor going for them.
Next stop was the bullet train--the shinkansen. This was a joy to ride: five minutes after buying my ticket, I was shooting my way towards Kyoto at near 300 km/hr speeds. Still the ride was smoother than an airplane, and you have more legroom to boot. Definitely a nice way to travel.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Wheelin' and dealin'
Monday was the last day of the conference, and so I decided it was time to see Kyoto from above by visiting the Landmark Tower observatory. The Landmark is the tallest skyscraper in Japan and the 69th floor is devoted to a 360 degree view of the city. Also, I had a coupon for 300 Yen off! (Don't get too excited, 1 Yen is about 1 1/2 of a penny.)
Anyway, from here you got great views of Minato Mirai 21 district, which is where the conference was held. The building shaped like a giant sail is the hotel next to the conference center, and the blue lights are a plaza of trees also next to the conference center.
The Ferris wheel was my next stop--I barely made it in time since I never suspected that it closed at 8:00. It was big, taking a full 15 minutes to go around once.
Finally, I finished my stay in Yokohama with some sushi. Once again I was seated right next to the chef, and got to see him in action with only a glass divider between us. This time I also was a bit more traditional and had a bottle of sake to go along with it. Very good!
Anyway, from here you got great views of Minato Mirai 21 district, which is where the conference was held. The building shaped like a giant sail is the hotel next to the conference center, and the blue lights are a plaza of trees also next to the conference center.
The Ferris wheel was my next stop--I barely made it in time since I never suspected that it closed at 8:00. It was big, taking a full 15 minutes to go around once.
Finally, I finished my stay in Yokohama with some sushi. Once again I was seated right next to the chef, and got to see him in action with only a glass divider between us. This time I also was a bit more traditional and had a bottle of sake to go along with it. Very good!
Cuddly wins the day
On Sunday I skipped lunch and headed up to the Nogeyama Zoo in Yokohama. Like the Ueno Park zoo in Tokyo, this is a small zoo easily seeable in an hour and a half or so. Also like Ueno, this is an older zoo, so not too many natural enclosures.
One exception to that was the Red Panda exhibit. Placed near the front of the zoo, the two little guys I saw had ramped up their cuteness factor to nearly unbearable levels. The picture below fails to capture the excited cries of small children as this lovable creature trotted around his little forest.
Another reason to skip lunch: tonight (Sunday) was the day of the conference banquet. Set on board a cruise ship, we had nine courses of Japanese dishes. I don't think the vegetarian I dined with enjoyed it as much as the rest of my table, but for my part it was a great meal.
One exception to that was the Red Panda exhibit. Placed near the front of the zoo, the two little guys I saw had ramped up their cuteness factor to nearly unbearable levels. The picture below fails to capture the excited cries of small children as this lovable creature trotted around his little forest.
Another reason to skip lunch: tonight (Sunday) was the day of the conference banquet. Set on board a cruise ship, we had nine courses of Japanese dishes. I don't think the vegetarian I dined with enjoyed it as much as the rest of my table, but for my part it was a great meal.
Weekend in Yokohama
The 4th World Conference of the IASC has begun! On Saturday, they had what they called a "Welcome Party". The Asahi beer and sushi were plentiful, and in between speeches from the organizing committee they had some excellent jugglers perform.
But an even bigger surprise awaited on the way to the conference. The Queen's Square mall in Yokohama just upped the ante on "best Christmas tree in Japan" in a big way. They spared no expense in decking this giant pine to the max. Not only that, but several times a night they would play a light show set to classic Christmas songs and other feel-good music. This was a spectacle--they darkened half the mall to make the show stand out better. Afterward, there was a flurry of picture taking with the tree. Yours truly cannot resist such a moment, of course!
But an even bigger surprise awaited on the way to the conference. The Queen's Square mall in Yokohama just upped the ante on "best Christmas tree in Japan" in a big way. They spared no expense in decking this giant pine to the max. Not only that, but several times a night they would play a light show set to classic Christmas songs and other feel-good music. This was a spectacle--they darkened half the mall to make the show stand out better. Afterward, there was a flurry of picture taking with the tree. Yours truly cannot resist such a moment, of course!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Ueno Park
On Friday, the first conference that I am attending here in Japan, the International Association for Statistical Computing 4th World Conference, is starting up. But before heading to Yokohama, I had one last morning of sightseeing in Tokyo.
I headed over to Ueno Park. This was the first place I saw families in abundance, it seemed to be a popular place to spend a day with small children. In particular, the Zoo was a great attraction to the under 3 crowd. And myself of course. Go figure.
Anyway, this is a small zoo, but stocked as it was with animals both domestic and international, I found many species native to Japan and Asia that I'd never seen before, such as this Red-crowned Crane.
Afterward, I visited a tiny museum devoted to clocks of the 17th-19th centuries. The museum wasn't great, but the neighborhood it was in was fascinating. Shrines and temples dotted the area, and there were also several cemeteries.
I headed over to Ueno Park. This was the first place I saw families in abundance, it seemed to be a popular place to spend a day with small children. In particular, the Zoo was a great attraction to the under 3 crowd. And myself of course. Go figure.
Anyway, this is a small zoo, but stocked as it was with animals both domestic and international, I found many species native to Japan and Asia that I'd never seen before, such as this Red-crowned Crane.
Afterward, I visited a tiny museum devoted to clocks of the 17th-19th centuries. The museum wasn't great, but the neighborhood it was in was fascinating. Shrines and temples dotted the area, and there were also several cemeteries.
The view from the top
On Thursday, I had a few hours in the morning to do some more sightseeing, so I caught the subway down to Japan's answer to the Eiffel Tower: the Tokyo Tower. Nearly identical in shape and height, what sets it apart is the orange and white paint job required by civil aeronautics codes.
Unlike the Eiffel Tower, there is virtually no line to get in, at least when I arrived at 9:00 AM. The central elevator speeds to the top, and the view is predictably great. However, Tokyo's skyline is not like Paris--skyscrapers vie for attention all around the horizon. In fact, they threaten the Tokyo Tower's primary use as a broadcasting antenna. A taller version is planned.
In the meantime, I took the lightening tour of the attractions in the current tower: the wax museum, the Guinness World Records, and the Tricky Art Gallery, full of optical illusions.
You could find a new escape route from the gallery like this women, except the door is just painted on. What's more, so is the woman. Consider your mind blown.
Unlike the Eiffel Tower, there is virtually no line to get in, at least when I arrived at 9:00 AM. The central elevator speeds to the top, and the view is predictably great. However, Tokyo's skyline is not like Paris--skyscrapers vie for attention all around the horizon. In fact, they threaten the Tokyo Tower's primary use as a broadcasting antenna. A taller version is planned.
In the meantime, I took the lightening tour of the attractions in the current tower: the wax museum, the Guinness World Records, and the Tricky Art Gallery, full of optical illusions.
You could find a new escape route from the gallery like this women, except the door is just painted on. What's more, so is the woman. Consider your mind blown.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Panoramic Tokyo
Wednesday I took a tour entitled Panoramic Tokyo. It started at the Meiji Shrine, with enormous lantern entryways and an enormous area for prayer.
Then we moved on to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. The Palace itself is off limits except for two days of the year, but the gardens are always open, and are full of gorgeous landscaping maintained by volunteers.
Our third stop was Asakusa. This is a collection of shrines and temples between which is a lively shopping street called Nakamise. I do believe every souvenir made in Japan was available for purchase somewhere on that street.
The next stop was lunch, at a French restaurant on the 12th floor of a hotel. Despite the height, most of the buildings we could see around us were even higher. This was followed by a 50 minute cruise, and then a brief stop at Odaiba Marine Park, where Japan's copy of the Statue of Liberty resides. The route to Odaiba crosses the Rainbow Bridge, which is white in the daytime, but at night is brought to life by floodlights of all colors. The picture below was taken at sunset, when the many particulates in the air reflected the pink rays of the setting sun beautifully.
In the background you can see the Tokyo Tower all lit up. Maybe tomorrow! Tonight I completed my hunt for my new camera, a Canon SX1IS. The night before I had tracked it to its lair in a BIC Camera store, and later that night had scoured the Internet for an answer to the eternal question: was it possible to change the menus from Japanese language to English. It was! Hurrah! So the next day, armed with my phrasebook Japanese, I went to buy it. The first clerk quickly realizing my situation, took me over to the clerk who sounded like she had spent at least half her years at Oxford University. So now I am the proud owner of a new camera. I can't wait to get it home and try it out!
Then we moved on to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. The Palace itself is off limits except for two days of the year, but the gardens are always open, and are full of gorgeous landscaping maintained by volunteers.
Our third stop was Asakusa. This is a collection of shrines and temples between which is a lively shopping street called Nakamise. I do believe every souvenir made in Japan was available for purchase somewhere on that street.
The next stop was lunch, at a French restaurant on the 12th floor of a hotel. Despite the height, most of the buildings we could see around us were even higher. This was followed by a 50 minute cruise, and then a brief stop at Odaiba Marine Park, where Japan's copy of the Statue of Liberty resides. The route to Odaiba crosses the Rainbow Bridge, which is white in the daytime, but at night is brought to life by floodlights of all colors. The picture below was taken at sunset, when the many particulates in the air reflected the pink rays of the setting sun beautifully.
In the background you can see the Tokyo Tower all lit up. Maybe tomorrow! Tonight I completed my hunt for my new camera, a Canon SX1IS. The night before I had tracked it to its lair in a BIC Camera store, and later that night had scoured the Internet for an answer to the eternal question: was it possible to change the menus from Japanese language to English. It was! Hurrah! So the next day, armed with my phrasebook Japanese, I went to buy it. The first clerk quickly realizing my situation, took me over to the clerk who sounded like she had spent at least half her years at Oxford University. So now I am the proud owner of a new camera. I can't wait to get it home and try it out!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
In search of Mt. Fuji
Today I took the Sunrise Tours "Mt. Fuji and Hakone 1-day by Motorcoach" excursion. It started off great, the pickup from my hotel went well.
Unfortunately, the weather refused to cooperate, and clouds dogged Mt. Fuji for most of the day. We went to the visitor center--nothing. We went to the 1st station at the bottom of the mountain--nothing. We took the gondola ride (each of which held over 100 people) to the top of a neighboring mountain for the spectacular views--nothing. Finally, 40 minutes after we had come down the mountain, the clouds parted and there it was, Mt. Fuji in all its glory. Everyone on the bus was stunned with joy, and excited pictures were taken all around.
I closed the day with a shopping trip around the neighborhood of Ginza station. This neighborhood is very recent, and much like the Times Square area of New York City. I know I barely scratched the surface.
Unfortunately, the weather refused to cooperate, and clouds dogged Mt. Fuji for most of the day. We went to the visitor center--nothing. We went to the 1st station at the bottom of the mountain--nothing. We took the gondola ride (each of which held over 100 people) to the top of a neighboring mountain for the spectacular views--nothing. Finally, 40 minutes after we had come down the mountain, the clouds parted and there it was, Mt. Fuji in all its glory. Everyone on the bus was stunned with joy, and excited pictures were taken all around.
I closed the day with a shopping trip around the neighborhood of Ginza station. This neighborhood is very recent, and much like the Times Square area of New York City. I know I barely scratched the surface.
Japan
My flight to Japan from Durham was a run-of-the-mill two and a half hour hop up to Minneapolis followed by a thirteen hour endurance session. By the end of it, my sinuses felt like they had been breathing in thumbtacks for most of the flight, but I was in Japan!
And Japan is very cool. It's a wonderful mixture of cultures. They drive on the left like England, but the outlet plugs are American (although the voltage is slightly lower--a mere 100V to our 110V.) Restaurants run the gamut, and I've seen Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, as well as the old standbys McDonalds, Starbucks, and KFC.
However, this is an Asian country that is 99% ethnically Japanese, which means I stand out like a sore thumb where ever I go. In one section of town I shopped for about an hour and never ran across anyone who wasn't a local. That can be good-no one expects me to know the customs, but it also makes interaction problematic, since very few Japanese know conversational English. Of course, shopkeepers are generally easy to work with in these days where all they have to do is point to the number the cash register is showing to get me to pay the right amount.
Also, I found that in the area of Tokyo where my hotel is (Akasaka) there are enough foreigners staying at the hotels that there are English menus advertised. I found a great sushi place without even trying that hard. I seemed to have received a chef in training--every so often he would ask another chef something, receive some sad words, and make quick changes to the sushi sampler I had ordered. In the end, though, the food was great, and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.
And Japan is very cool. It's a wonderful mixture of cultures. They drive on the left like England, but the outlet plugs are American (although the voltage is slightly lower--a mere 100V to our 110V.) Restaurants run the gamut, and I've seen Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, as well as the old standbys McDonalds, Starbucks, and KFC.
However, this is an Asian country that is 99% ethnically Japanese, which means I stand out like a sore thumb where ever I go. In one section of town I shopped for about an hour and never ran across anyone who wasn't a local. That can be good-no one expects me to know the customs, but it also makes interaction problematic, since very few Japanese know conversational English. Of course, shopkeepers are generally easy to work with in these days where all they have to do is point to the number the cash register is showing to get me to pay the right amount.
Also, I found that in the area of Tokyo where my hotel is (Akasaka) there are enough foreigners staying at the hotels that there are English menus advertised. I found a great sushi place without even trying that hard. I seemed to have received a chef in training--every so often he would ask another chef something, receive some sad words, and make quick changes to the sushi sampler I had ordered. In the end, though, the food was great, and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
Top ten things I am thankful for:
1) Family and friends.
2) The food whose smells are wafting towards me even as I speak.
Now with the mandatory thanks out of the way...
3) Being born in a time and place where they actually pay people to do mathematics!
4) Along those same lines: The Enlightenment.
5) Literacy. Not only do I personally love to read, it has my vote for the most important aspect of civilization, the ability to reach across time and space to communicate.
6) Peace. The U.S. and others are at war, but compared to the last century, this is still a remarkably peaceful time. Only time will tell if it stays so.
7) The Sixth Amendment o the U.S. Constitution. The right to face ones accuser and know the evidence presented against them at trial represents a shift away from barbarism and fear. I only wish it were universally applied.
8) The Internet. I studied the building of the railroads in history class, but here was a brand new network growing and evolving before my eyes. The technology, the bubble, all of it was and is wonderfully exciting.
9) Science fiction. A library full of people who believed that new discoveries where always around the corner.
10) And right now, the sunny day that is giving me a beautiful view of the water. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Happy Thanksgiving!
1) Family and friends.
2) The food whose smells are wafting towards me even as I speak.
Now with the mandatory thanks out of the way...
3) Being born in a time and place where they actually pay people to do mathematics!
4) Along those same lines: The Enlightenment.
5) Literacy. Not only do I personally love to read, it has my vote for the most important aspect of civilization, the ability to reach across time and space to communicate.
6) Peace. The U.S. and others are at war, but compared to the last century, this is still a remarkably peaceful time. Only time will tell if it stays so.
7) The Sixth Amendment o the U.S. Constitution. The right to face ones accuser and know the evidence presented against them at trial represents a shift away from barbarism and fear. I only wish it were universally applied.
8) The Internet. I studied the building of the railroads in history class, but here was a brand new network growing and evolving before my eyes. The technology, the bubble, all of it was and is wonderfully exciting.
9) Science fiction. A library full of people who believed that new discoveries where always around the corner.
10) And right now, the sunny day that is giving me a beautiful view of the water. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 24, 2008
I'd rather have a tooth pulled...
Ok, so I had a tooth pulled today. This entry is not for the easily disgusted. Here goes.
The actual procedure turns out to be pretty painless with modern local anesthetics. The victim in this case was a late coming wisdom tooth that was actually pointing at about a fifteen angle away from down towards the back of my mouth. Useless for chewing, but great for collecting food in a nearly impossible to floss location, and with no matching lower tooth to boot. So that sucker had to go. But the pulling, it turns out, is the easy part.
There's a little condition called "dry socket" that occurs in about 5% of cases. Basically what is supposed to happen is that a blood clot forms in the gap left by the pulled tooth that covers everything until the gum and bone have a chance to heal. When dry socket occurs, the clot is dislodged or washed away, leaving the bone exposed to air--by all accounts a pretty painful and nasty thing to have happen. Minimizing the chance of dry socket is at the top of the post-op to do list. So that means no carbonated beverages, alcohol, or rinsing my mouth for the first 24 hours.
No rinsing. No brushing, no flossing, no tongue touching.
Like most people I never thought about how often I rinse out my mouth until it was taken away from me (the caffeine through carbonation I had realized how much I used--let's just say I was "mildly" irritable today.) Ease of access to potable water has spoiled me at every turn I suppose, but I now realize that I tend to rinse fairly often through the day. Just not today.
So now my mouth feels icky. Part of that is the blood that is supposed to seep from the socket for the first 12 hours or so. But mix that seeping blood with the usual saliva and then add NO RINSING OF THE MOUTH to the mix (and of course I'm not allowed to get the tongue in there to that cleaning that the tongue loves to do) and I feel like I've been drinking from a pool of scum collecting below a garbage can. For eight hours.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The actual procedure turns out to be pretty painless with modern local anesthetics. The victim in this case was a late coming wisdom tooth that was actually pointing at about a fifteen angle away from down towards the back of my mouth. Useless for chewing, but great for collecting food in a nearly impossible to floss location, and with no matching lower tooth to boot. So that sucker had to go. But the pulling, it turns out, is the easy part.
There's a little condition called "dry socket" that occurs in about 5% of cases. Basically what is supposed to happen is that a blood clot forms in the gap left by the pulled tooth that covers everything until the gum and bone have a chance to heal. When dry socket occurs, the clot is dislodged or washed away, leaving the bone exposed to air--by all accounts a pretty painful and nasty thing to have happen. Minimizing the chance of dry socket is at the top of the post-op to do list. So that means no carbonated beverages, alcohol, or rinsing my mouth for the first 24 hours.
No rinsing. No brushing, no flossing, no tongue touching.
Like most people I never thought about how often I rinse out my mouth until it was taken away from me (the caffeine through carbonation I had realized how much I used--let's just say I was "mildly" irritable today.) Ease of access to potable water has spoiled me at every turn I suppose, but I now realize that I tend to rinse fairly often through the day. Just not today.
So now my mouth feels icky. Part of that is the blood that is supposed to seep from the socket for the first 12 hours or so. But mix that seeping blood with the usual saliva and then add NO RINSING OF THE MOUTH to the mix (and of course I'm not allowed to get the tongue in there to that cleaning that the tongue loves to do) and I feel like I've been drinking from a pool of scum collecting below a garbage can. For eight hours.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Quantum of Solace
I saw the new James Bond movie last Wednesday, and was blown away. Well, not literally, although they tried their hardest. This is a fast paced Bond that drives, runs, fights and shoots its way from one scene to the next, with barely a time for a breath.
The action scenes were shot with the kind of quick cuts intended to capture the chaos inherent in improvised action. The movie opens with a brilliantly staged car chase scene through a traffic jam. After that, you know that this is going to be an imaginative romp through Bond's paranoid world where all the women, whether a femme fatale or a brave agent, are drop dead gorgeous and all the villains are going to be unbearably fond of their own monologues.
This is a serious Bond--there's none of the camp of the Moore era on display here, and there's little in the way of comedic relief. Still, Craig is a powerful enough presence that he pulls Bond through his dark path without losing sight of his duty, a delicate balancing act is an increasingly unbalanced world.
4 out of 5 stars
The action scenes were shot with the kind of quick cuts intended to capture the chaos inherent in improvised action. The movie opens with a brilliantly staged car chase scene through a traffic jam. After that, you know that this is going to be an imaginative romp through Bond's paranoid world where all the women, whether a femme fatale or a brave agent, are drop dead gorgeous and all the villains are going to be unbearably fond of their own monologues.
This is a serious Bond--there's none of the camp of the Moore era on display here, and there's little in the way of comedic relief. Still, Craig is a powerful enough presence that he pulls Bond through his dark path without losing sight of his duty, a delicate balancing act is an increasingly unbalanced world.
4 out of 5 stars
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Halloween!
Halloween was great fun this year! The friends of mine, Leo and Stanca, who had a baby last month now are renting a place out in suburbia. They invited myself and a few others out for dinner during the trick or treat period. Little Radu looked extra cute in his costume.
I have not had any trick or treaters for the last ten years in my various apartment dwellings, so it was lots of fun seeing the little (and not so little) kids in their costumes.
The next night was the stat department's annual Halloween party. The past couple years have been somewhat low energy, but this year they really outdid themselves. I went as an orc this year.
To see all the pictures from the party (and there were some great costumes), go here.
I have not had any trick or treaters for the last ten years in my various apartment dwellings, so it was lots of fun seeing the little (and not so little) kids in their costumes.
The next night was the stat department's annual Halloween party. The past couple years have been somewhat low energy, but this year they really outdid themselves. I went as an orc this year.
To see all the pictures from the party (and there were some great costumes), go here.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Johns Hopkins
Last week I visited Johns Hopkins University to give a talk in the Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics. One of my good friends and coauthors, Jim Fill, is there, and we had some good discussions. There are a variety of different ways to organize math departments. If you look at four groups: pure math, applied math, stats, and operations research, some places bundle all four together while in others they are separate. Applied math & stats is actually one of the more unusual combinations, and even more interesting at Hopkins they are part of the School of Engineering rather than Arts & Sciences.
Anyway, Johns Hopkins has a campus that is breathtakingly beautiful. They have just undergone a renovation of many buildings, and it shows. Brick with white trim, white marble, and spires everywhere you look. Very nice!
I also had a chance to check out Baltimore. Most of my time I spent around the Inner Harbor area (the dolphin show and frog exhibit at the aquarium are great!), but I also took a side trip out to Fort McHenry, best known for inspiring Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the War of 1812.
Anyway, Johns Hopkins has a campus that is breathtakingly beautiful. They have just undergone a renovation of many buildings, and it shows. Brick with white trim, white marble, and spires everywhere you look. Very nice!
I also had a chance to check out Baltimore. Most of my time I spent around the Inner Harbor area (the dolphin show and frog exhibit at the aquarium are great!), but I also took a side trip out to Fort McHenry, best known for inspiring Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the War of 1812.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Max Payne
The history of video games that have been turned into live action movies goes back to 1993 and Super Mario Bros. Of course that was a side scroller with minimal plot. Today I went to see Max Payne. The difference between Super Mario Bros and Max Payne as video games is profound. Super Mario Bros grew purely out of the a desire to build a fun game within the limits of the technology of the time.
Max Payne, on the other hand, was heavily influenced by Hong Kong action movies. Its central feature, bullettime, seemed to be drawn directly from The Matrix. So how did it fare returning to its roots as a movie?
I'd have to say results were mixed. There are some truly awe-inspiring visuals set up throughout the film, but the intensity of the action scenes is blunted due to the PG-13 rating. In the Hong Kong action movies, the old ultraviolence never seemed squeamish, and neither did Max Payne the video game. The movie, however, feels somewhat constrained in that regard, and it shows.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
For the record, here are the movies based on video games that I've seen:
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Wing Commander
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi, Voice of the Forest
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Resident Evil
Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Doom
Resident Evil: Extinction
None so far have gotten 5 out of 5 stars from me. The closest is Resident Evil, that I'd give 4 stars. I do have hopes for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, on of my favorite video games of all time and one that prides itself on its cinematic sequences. I have great hopes for director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral). Here's hoping!
Max Payne, on the other hand, was heavily influenced by Hong Kong action movies. Its central feature, bullettime, seemed to be drawn directly from The Matrix. So how did it fare returning to its roots as a movie?
I'd have to say results were mixed. There are some truly awe-inspiring visuals set up throughout the film, but the intensity of the action scenes is blunted due to the PG-13 rating. In the Hong Kong action movies, the old ultraviolence never seemed squeamish, and neither did Max Payne the video game. The movie, however, feels somewhat constrained in that regard, and it shows.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
For the record, here are the movies based on video games that I've seen:
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Wing Commander
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi, Voice of the Forest
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Resident Evil
Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Doom
Resident Evil: Extinction
None so far have gotten 5 out of 5 stars from me. The closest is Resident Evil, that I'd give 4 stars. I do have hopes for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, on of my favorite video games of all time and one that prides itself on its cinematic sequences. I have great hopes for director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral). Here's hoping!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Burn after Reading
Burn after Reading is delightful fun. The Coen brother's genius is to take a chaotic world, and project it down to only a few characters. In this case we are treated to the Washington D.C. culture, both high and low. The weft and warp of the plot yield a delightfully absurd dark comedy that was enormously entertaining for me.
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Georgia Tech
Now I don't normally give a talk a week, but this semester has been crazy busy. This week I visited Georgia Tech and gave a talk in their stochastic seminar. Talks are a bit like snowflakes--too many of them in one place results in a real problem. Just kidding of course, no I mean each talk is unique.
Any time you give a speech, a talk, or any kind of presentation, there's a rhythm in the room. It always helps to have people you know in the audience, and in this case I had several. Prasad Tetali was who had invited me, and has done some great research in analysis of Markov chains. Also there was Henry Matzinger, who got his PhD the same year I did from Cornell OR. It is a small world after all, especially when you're talking about the number of probability doctorates working at major research universities.
Anyway, Henry invited me to dinner that night, and I got to meet his charming wife and catch up on all we've been up to for the last ten years. I also ran into a friend in the CS department while on my way to the student center for breakfast, Eric Vigoda. His work while he was a graduate student under Luby was the first paper I read that got me started in my area, and it was great catching up with him as well.
As a side note, this was my first experience flying Air Tran, and it was very enjoyable. No delays, XM radio in all the seats (which isn't so common in the shuttle flights) and easy online check-in up to 24 hours in advance. Very nice!
Any time you give a speech, a talk, or any kind of presentation, there's a rhythm in the room. It always helps to have people you know in the audience, and in this case I had several. Prasad Tetali was who had invited me, and has done some great research in analysis of Markov chains. Also there was Henry Matzinger, who got his PhD the same year I did from Cornell OR. It is a small world after all, especially when you're talking about the number of probability doctorates working at major research universities.
Anyway, Henry invited me to dinner that night, and I got to meet his charming wife and catch up on all we've been up to for the last ten years. I also ran into a friend in the CS department while on my way to the student center for breakfast, Eric Vigoda. His work while he was a graduate student under Luby was the first paper I read that got me started in my area, and it was great catching up with him as well.
As a side note, this was my first experience flying Air Tran, and it was very enjoyable. No delays, XM radio in all the seats (which isn't so common in the shuttle flights) and easy online check-in up to 24 hours in advance. Very nice!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Back from Ithaca
I gave my talk on Tuesday, and I have to say, it went very well. Both on Monday and Tuesday I met with various friends from my graduate school years--including Kathryn Caggiano who was a year ahead of me at Cornell and now is back lecturing and organizing the Masters of Engineering program.
I also met three of the faculty members that joined after I left, Mark Lewis, Phillip Protter, and Shane Henderson. Another faculty member that joined last year, Dawn Woodard I already knew since I was on her graduate committee at Duke and we've coauthored several papers together.
Altogether it was a great experience, and I'm glad that I got the chance to head back there!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ithaca
Tuesday I'm giving a talk at Cornell at the ORIE Colloquium. So I flew up to Ithaca on Sunday to do some sightseeing beforehand. There were a couple of places that I wanted to see.
First on the list was one of my favorite places to go when I was a graduate student, Taughannock Falls. These big falls aren't much to see this time of year, but the walk along the riverbed is still lots of fun.
Next I headed along the Caygua Wine Trail. There are a couple dozen wineries along Cayuga Lake, most with tastings. This was taken at the Thirsty Owl Winery which you can see overlooks Cayuga Lake.
First on the list was one of my favorite places to go when I was a graduate student, Taughannock Falls. These big falls aren't much to see this time of year, but the walk along the riverbed is still lots of fun.
Next I headed along the Caygua Wine Trail. There are a couple dozen wineries along Cayuga Lake, most with tastings. This was taken at the Thirsty Owl Winery which you can see overlooks Cayuga Lake.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Prep day
Tomorrow I'm flying out of RDU up to Ithaca, NY in order to give a talk at Cornell in my old graduate department: Operations Research and Industrial Engineering. So this is one of those prep days, my last chance to get my ducks in a row, my cards lined up, my &lsaquo object &rsaquo put in &lsaquo position object normally travels in &rsaquo .
To that end, I make "To Do" lists for the day. I try to keep them short and only consisting of the things that I absolutely must get accomplished today. I have other "To Do" lists that are general in the sense that they need to be done, but maybe not today. I'll write the "To Do" list down on paper I find around the house, and throw it away after the last one is crossed off.
My "To Do" list today is incredibly boring:
I am trying to get this done by 6:00 so that I can join the Statistics Departmental Party tonight. It was supposed to be two weeks earlier, but a hurricane threatened to come through and it was moved.
To that end, I make "To Do" lists for the day. I try to keep them short and only consisting of the things that I absolutely must get accomplished today. I have other "To Do" lists that are general in the sense that they need to be done, but maybe not today. I'll write the "To Do" list down on paper I find around the house, and throw it away after the last one is crossed off.
My "To Do" list today is incredibly boring:
- Get Haircut
- Pack for trip
- Finish writing slides (10 to go!)
I am trying to get this done by 6:00 so that I can join the Statistics Departmental Party tonight. It was supposed to be two weeks earlier, but a hurricane threatened to come through and it was moved.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
SAMSI, SAMSI, SAMSI!
Ah September! Being in a southern state, the flowers are still blooming in full force as another high of 94 degree day settles upon Durham.
And with September, the academic year has also blossomed into meetings, classes, and conferences. Classes are now starting their third week, which means that the drop/add period is over and so classes have settled down to their expected size. My graduate "Topics in Probability" course has landed on a reasonable 16 people. More than small enough to give everyone all the help they need.
I'm only teaching one course this semester because I am also heavily involved in a SAMSI program: Sequential Monte Carlo methods. In the past, I've done work on methods that are both sequential and Monte Carlo, however, the specific phrase "Sequential Monte Carlo" means something very specific, and is an area that so far I've only brushed against.
From last Sunday through Thursday was the opening workshop, with tutorials on Sunday and regular talks Monday through Wednesday, followed by working group meetings on Thursday. These working groups will form the backbone of the research conducted by the program, and represents small groups of people with shared interests who meet weekly to look at specific problems. In my case, I'll be leading the "Theory" working group, and looking at ways to transform one of my algorithms for Monte Carlo into an algorithm for dealing with the types of problems used for Sequential Monte Carlo.
And with September, the academic year has also blossomed into meetings, classes, and conferences. Classes are now starting their third week, which means that the drop/add period is over and so classes have settled down to their expected size. My graduate "Topics in Probability" course has landed on a reasonable 16 people. More than small enough to give everyone all the help they need.
I'm only teaching one course this semester because I am also heavily involved in a SAMSI program: Sequential Monte Carlo methods. In the past, I've done work on methods that are both sequential and Monte Carlo, however, the specific phrase "Sequential Monte Carlo" means something very specific, and is an area that so far I've only brushed against.
From last Sunday through Thursday was the opening workshop, with tutorials on Sunday and regular talks Monday through Wednesday, followed by working group meetings on Thursday. These working groups will form the backbone of the research conducted by the program, and represents small groups of people with shared interests who meet weekly to look at specific problems. In my case, I'll be leading the "Theory" working group, and looking at ways to transform one of my algorithms for Monte Carlo into an algorithm for dealing with the types of problems used for Sequential Monte Carlo.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Last Day
Our last full day in Australia, and we thought to ourselves: We need to see more crocodiles! Beaches! Sunsets! And maybe actually have a hot breakfast for once, as up until now we'd been subsisting on Nutella and jelly sandwiches.
So we headed up the coast toward Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. On the way we stopped at one of the many beaches that you can't swim in due to jellyfish. They did warn us, however!
Next up was Hartley's Crocodile Adventure. The setup was similar to, but larger than the Rainforestation zoo. And of course, they were all about the crocodiles, which they not only display but raise for food and skin here. I had wondered why crocodile meat was so inexpensive. Feeding a crocodile a chicken a week makes raising them expensive, but the skin is so valuable that the meat is more or less just a byproduct.
After a great breakfast, we headed out for our boat tour. They have a small river/island set up where the crocs that aren't part of the farm can relax in the sun. Our boat driver also got to feed a couple of them. As this picture shows, when they want to leave the water, they can!
In addition to the crocodiles, they have a respectable zoo there. In fact, we got to see one more new animal. Australia does not have much in the way of large mammalian carnivores, with the dingo pretty much topping the list. Even rarer are the marsupial carnivores. The largest one is the quoll, a relative of the Tasmanian Devil, and the zoo had two that they had acquired in the last month. They were still pretty shy, and hissed continuously at the keeper when he placed baby chicks around their enclosure for them to "hunt", but because they were feeding we got to see both the male and female.
At the end of the day they had another demonstration with the crocodile. They are truly stupid creatures. The croc handler had a chunk of fake food on the end of a rope, and swung it out for the croc to grab. At that point the croc was safe to be around. All the croc needed to do to get the handler was open its jaws, but once it got the fake bait in their mouth it refused to let go no matter what. But they're also fast and dangerous, so most of the demonstration was about croc safety when going camping in the Outback. Following our day at the zoo, we headed up the coast. At the Rex Lookout there were some hang gliders about to take off, but most people were just tourists taking pictures of the wonderful view like we were.
Further up the coast is the tourist mecca of Port Douglas. We found a nice restaurant right on the water's edge, and seemed a great way to end the day. We did get a surprise on our way out of town at dusk: bats were just coming out to feed, and there must of been thousands of them darkening the sky.
So we headed up the coast toward Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. On the way we stopped at one of the many beaches that you can't swim in due to jellyfish. They did warn us, however!
Next up was Hartley's Crocodile Adventure. The setup was similar to, but larger than the Rainforestation zoo. And of course, they were all about the crocodiles, which they not only display but raise for food and skin here. I had wondered why crocodile meat was so inexpensive. Feeding a crocodile a chicken a week makes raising them expensive, but the skin is so valuable that the meat is more or less just a byproduct.
After a great breakfast, we headed out for our boat tour. They have a small river/island set up where the crocs that aren't part of the farm can relax in the sun. Our boat driver also got to feed a couple of them. As this picture shows, when they want to leave the water, they can!
In addition to the crocodiles, they have a respectable zoo there. In fact, we got to see one more new animal. Australia does not have much in the way of large mammalian carnivores, with the dingo pretty much topping the list. Even rarer are the marsupial carnivores. The largest one is the quoll, a relative of the Tasmanian Devil, and the zoo had two that they had acquired in the last month. They were still pretty shy, and hissed continuously at the keeper when he placed baby chicks around their enclosure for them to "hunt", but because they were feeding we got to see both the male and female.
At the end of the day they had another demonstration with the crocodile. They are truly stupid creatures. The croc handler had a chunk of fake food on the end of a rope, and swung it out for the croc to grab. At that point the croc was safe to be around. All the croc needed to do to get the handler was open its jaws, but once it got the fake bait in their mouth it refused to let go no matter what. But they're also fast and dangerous, so most of the demonstration was about croc safety when going camping in the Outback. Following our day at the zoo, we headed up the coast. At the Rex Lookout there were some hang gliders about to take off, but most people were just tourists taking pictures of the wonderful view like we were.
Further up the coast is the tourist mecca of Port Douglas. We found a nice restaurant right on the water's edge, and seemed a great way to end the day. We did get a surprise on our way out of town at dusk: bats were just coming out to feed, and there must of been thousands of them darkening the sky.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Riding high
The next day we headed to the rainforest. Specifically, to the Skyrail--a gondola ride that first gives you a great view of the rainforest from above, and then stops at a couple locations for a closer look. At the first stop, a ranger leads a tour around showing what the locals used the various plants for.
At the top of the Skyway is Kuranda, a tourist type village filled with small cafes and souvenir shops. Also in Kuranda was our next stop: the Rainforestation Nature Park. The first part of the park is a small zoo, here we saw our first wombat of the trip.
The next part of the park we visited was a short Duck tour of the rainforest. Yes, the same Army Ducks that have graced the Wisconsin Dells for so long. For those who haven't had the experience, Ducks are amphibious vehicles made during WWII that can drive on land or in water. They're going on over sixty years old now and still operating, which is amazing in an of itself.
Next we entered the Aborigine part of the park. First there was some dancing, followed by some demonstrations: the spear-thrower, the didgeridoo, and the ever popular boomerang. They let us throw one: I'm happy to say that mine came back, but I couldn't quite catch it. Not a good idea to just hold up your hand--instead you slap your hands together as is whizzes through. Mine was headed to fast for me, maybe next time.
By this time we were exhausted, but still managed to haul ourselves back to Cairns and Barnacle Bill's for the seafood platter. A guy's got to eat!
At the top of the Skyway is Kuranda, a tourist type village filled with small cafes and souvenir shops. Also in Kuranda was our next stop: the Rainforestation Nature Park. The first part of the park is a small zoo, here we saw our first wombat of the trip.
The next part of the park we visited was a short Duck tour of the rainforest. Yes, the same Army Ducks that have graced the Wisconsin Dells for so long. For those who haven't had the experience, Ducks are amphibious vehicles made during WWII that can drive on land or in water. They're going on over sixty years old now and still operating, which is amazing in an of itself.
Next we entered the Aborigine part of the park. First there was some dancing, followed by some demonstrations: the spear-thrower, the didgeridoo, and the ever popular boomerang. They let us throw one: I'm happy to say that mine came back, but I couldn't quite catch it. Not a good idea to just hold up your hand--instead you slap your hands together as is whizzes through. Mine was headed to fast for me, maybe next time.
By this time we were exhausted, but still managed to haul ourselves back to Cairns and Barnacle Bill's for the seafood platter. A guy's got to eat!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Ready, set, snorkel!
Our first day in Cairns I'd signed us up for an all day snorkeling trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. The set up was a little different than the trip out from Hamilton Island. First, even though it was cheaper, the equipment was better all around--we got full scuba-style wetsuits even while snorkeling, and the snorkels they used seemed higher quality.
And the location! I saw more fish in the first five minutes where they took us than in the entire time at the other place. There were far too many fish for me to remember all of them, but I know that I saw an enormous school of yellowtail blue damsels really distinctive because of their bright colors. I also saw a moorish idol, which I recognized thanks to "Finding Nemo".
The worst part was the trip back--the seas were getting rough, and our tiny ship was tossed. So tossed, in fact, that at least one passenger did a little tossing of their own. Fortunately, the front and back of the ship were full of fresh ocean air. From the front you could see where they were doing controlled burns of sugar cane fields. Altogether, it was a great trip, and I'll recommend the Tusa Dive tour to everyone I know!
And the location! I saw more fish in the first five minutes where they took us than in the entire time at the other place. There were far too many fish for me to remember all of them, but I know that I saw an enormous school of yellowtail blue damsels really distinctive because of their bright colors. I also saw a moorish idol, which I recognized thanks to "Finding Nemo".
The worst part was the trip back--the seas were getting rough, and our tiny ship was tossed. So tossed, in fact, that at least one passenger did a little tossing of their own. Fortunately, the front and back of the ship were full of fresh ocean air. From the front you could see where they were doing controlled burns of sugar cane fields. Altogether, it was a great trip, and I'll recommend the Tusa Dive tour to everyone I know!
Alice Springs Desert Park
Nestled at the foot of the West MacDonnell range is Alice Springs Desert Park, a fantastic little zoo dedicated to the wildlife found in the center of Australia. The park is divided into three areas: one for the Red Centre, one for desert rivers, and one for the woodland areas. This last blends nicely into the West MacDonnell National Park, and the zoo had several native animals wandering around visiting the area in addition to the ones in cages.
They have quite a variety. This was the first time I'd heard of a numbat, let alone seen one.
The Red Centre area is somewhat different from what we saw on the way up, mainly due to the fact that they maintain it so that it looks like it would after a rainstorm had come through. This means that all the grasses and flowers are blooming, which is quite a sight.
They also have an excellent bird show, showing off the local hawks and the tool using birds getting into emu eggs. They also have several aviaries. Any zoo with desert creatures has to have a nocturnal house to show off the small mammals like this Bilby that only come out at night.
After the park, it was time to say goodbye to the center of Australia and head back to the northeast. Next stop, Cairns!
They have quite a variety. This was the first time I'd heard of a numbat, let alone seen one.
The Red Centre area is somewhat different from what we saw on the way up, mainly due to the fact that they maintain it so that it looks like it would after a rainstorm had come through. This means that all the grasses and flowers are blooming, which is quite a sight.
They also have an excellent bird show, showing off the local hawks and the tool using birds getting into emu eggs. They also have several aviaries. Any zoo with desert creatures has to have a nocturnal house to show off the small mammals like this Bilby that only come out at night.
After the park, it was time to say goodbye to the center of Australia and head back to the northeast. Next stop, Cairns!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Minding the gap
We began the day with a trip down to Kathleen Springs on the southeast side of Watarrka National Park. We didn't see any wildlife that morning, but tracks were everywhere. Many of the local species are nocturnal, so that wasn't a big surprise.
Next we drove up to Alice Springs. The West MacDonnell range is just down the road, and just beore the sun went down we made it over to Stanley Chasm. Just as we entered, we saw a black-footed rock wallaby in the wild. It was very shy, and bounded up the rocks as soon as it saw us. Their coloring is excellent camoflauge for the rocks...if it hadn't come down to the canyon bottom to feed, we never would have seen it.
Our next stop was Simpson's Gap, and there we found out that it is actually pretty rare to see the rock wallabies in action, since they are on the edge of being endangered. Driving out of the gap, we saw two more making their way along the dry riverbed next to the road. They instantly split up, heading in different directions. Very neat!
Next we drove up to Alice Springs. The West MacDonnell range is just down the road, and just beore the sun went down we made it over to Stanley Chasm. Just as we entered, we saw a black-footed rock wallaby in the wild. It was very shy, and bounded up the rocks as soon as it saw us. Their coloring is excellent camoflauge for the rocks...if it hadn't come down to the canyon bottom to feed, we never would have seen it.
Our next stop was Simpson's Gap, and there we found out that it is actually pretty rare to see the rock wallabies in action, since they are on the edge of being endangered. Driving out of the gap, we saw two more making their way along the dry riverbed next to the road. They instantly split up, heading in different directions. Very neat!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
King's Canyon
About three hundred kilometers away from Uluru is King's Canyon in Watarrka National Park, and was the next stop on our trip. Mom took her first turn at the wheel for part of this trip, as we both felt she shouldn't miss an opportunity to drive on the left side.
We reached the canyon in early afternoon, giving time for the walk at the bottom before I headed up to the rim walk. The walk around the rim is one of the most amazing 3 hour walks I've ever been on. The beginning looks like Gollum's little shortcut into Mordor, but soon the view of the canyon from the rim are on full display.
Further along the trail meanders among "bee-hive" formations where the layers of rock have eroded into a maze.
After crossing to the other side, a brief side path takes the hiker down into the Garden of Eden--a continuous water supply that contains plants from 60 million ago.
Once on the other side, you could see where occasionally the rock would split and crash to the canyon floor below.
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All together, this was a fabulous hike, and a great way to see the Park. After viewing the sunset (which sadly, wasn't as spectacular as down at Uluru and Kata Tjuta) we headed back to the resort. Dinner was a Bush pizza (croc and kangaroo meat) and another Bush show. There were two performers, and what they lacked in technique they made for with props and audience participation. In fact, Mom got to do the little dance to "Home among the gum trees", along with five other audience "volunteers". Good times!
We reached the canyon in early afternoon, giving time for the walk at the bottom before I headed up to the rim walk. The walk around the rim is one of the most amazing 3 hour walks I've ever been on. The beginning looks like Gollum's little shortcut into Mordor, but soon the view of the canyon from the rim are on full display.
Further along the trail meanders among "bee-hive" formations where the layers of rock have eroded into a maze.
After crossing to the other side, a brief side path takes the hiker down into the Garden of Eden--a continuous water supply that contains plants from 60 million ago.
Once on the other side, you could see where occasionally the rock would split and crash to the canyon floor below.
.JPG)
All together, this was a fabulous hike, and a great way to see the Park. After viewing the sunset (which sadly, wasn't as spectacular as down at Uluru and Kata Tjuta) we headed back to the resort. Dinner was a Bush pizza (croc and kangaroo meat) and another Bush show. There were two performers, and what they lacked in technique they made for with props and audience participation. In fact, Mom got to do the little dance to "Home among the gum trees", along with five other audience "volunteers". Good times!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Kata Tjuta
The sunset was so spectacular that we decided it was worth rising early to see the sunrise at Uluru. It was nice, but lacking the clouds of the night before, the colors were not quite as spectacular.
The highlight of the morning turned out to be the Ranger led talk along the Mala trail. This trail hits some of the highlights of Uluru: there are Aboriginal drawings, geological formations, ending at a shaded waterhole.
After lunch at Uluru, it was time to head over to the second half of the National Park: Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas). This formation is similar to Uluru but was exposed earlier, and erosion has divided it into multiple mounds. They have an excellent trail to several scenic views. I was fortunate enough while on this path to run across a wild Wallaby, and the views were amazing.
The composition of Kata Tjuta is similar to that of Uluru--the sunset did not disappoint!
The highlight of the morning turned out to be the Ranger led talk along the Mala trail. This trail hits some of the highlights of Uluru: there are Aboriginal drawings, geological formations, ending at a shaded waterhole.
After lunch at Uluru, it was time to head over to the second half of the National Park: Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas). This formation is similar to Uluru but was exposed earlier, and erosion has divided it into multiple mounds. They have an excellent trail to several scenic views. I was fortunate enough while on this path to run across a wild Wallaby, and the views were amazing.
The composition of Kata Tjuta is similar to that of Uluru--the sunset did not disappoint!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Red Centre
Today we headed out of the big city for good, starting the beautiful landscapes portion of the tour. Our first stop was Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) a monolith listed as a UN World Heritage Site for both it's natural and cultural importance.
Uluru lies in the middle of the Red Centre, the large desert region in the middle of the Australian continent. In the desert thrives a fungus that can go for years without water--this fungus binds iron oxide, giving the soil and rocks their characteristic red color. It is at sunset where this becomes truly amazing. As the sun sets, the golden shade of Ululu darkens slowly to a rust color. Then as the suns rays turn reddish, for about five minutes or so the entire monolith glows an unearthly orange color that takes the breadth away.
After the sunset, we headed back to Ayer's Rock Resort--essentially the only place within a few hundred kilometers to spend the night. They have a great Australian BBQ set up: for a set price you get the Crocodile, Kangaroo, and Emu meat, and then it's up to you to grill it. They also have live music, our night it was Mal Clarke. Mal is an excellent guitarist who performed a range of Aussie favorites. It was a no brainer to get his CD to keep us company driving the next few days.
Uluru lies in the middle of the Red Centre, the large desert region in the middle of the Australian continent. In the desert thrives a fungus that can go for years without water--this fungus binds iron oxide, giving the soil and rocks their characteristic red color. It is at sunset where this becomes truly amazing. As the sun sets, the golden shade of Ululu darkens slowly to a rust color. Then as the suns rays turn reddish, for about five minutes or so the entire monolith glows an unearthly orange color that takes the breadth away.
After the sunset, we headed back to Ayer's Rock Resort--essentially the only place within a few hundred kilometers to spend the night. They have a great Australian BBQ set up: for a set price you get the Crocodile, Kangaroo, and Emu meat, and then it's up to you to grill it. They also have live music, our night it was Mal Clarke. Mal is an excellent guitarist who performed a range of Aussie favorites. It was a no brainer to get his CD to keep us company driving the next few days.
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