From Sunnies to Tuques

I'm back in Tokyo.

It took way to long for me to get home - between the 5 hour layover in Bali and the one hour stop in Jakarta I managed to finish 10 sudoku puzzles and read about 215 pages of my next book club book. By my count I boarded a plane ten seperate times over the past three weeks. I'm about to board another one in less than 24 hours. I have 3 different currencies in my wallet. I emptied the summer clothes out of my backpack and am about to stuff in some warm sweaters and jeans. Set for some rockin times with Karen in Canada. I love my life.

Yes I'm tired and it's presenting itself in subtle ways...opened the washer to find my clothes covered with little bits of kleenex, stuffed a 100 yen into the washer instead of the dryer. I also can't seem to focus on what exactly I need to do before leaving for Canada. It seems as though there should be tons to do but here I am writing a blog entry.

Sydney, btw, was beautiful. I spent Friday exploring the Rocks, the birth place of Sydney, and the harbour. Captivating. On Saturday I took a day tour to the Blue Mountains and the Jenolan Caves. It was a great day but I spent most of it trying not to have a severe panic attack. I knew we'd be visiting caves but I didn't know that I wouldn't be seeing the sun for 2 hours as we hiked through tunnels that periodically opened up into these amazingly huge rooms. It was awe inspiring but I must admit that I was distinctly uncomfortable and distracted throughout the tour. The end couldn't have come soon enough. The cave they call the Cathedral is the only time I wasn't thinking about my anxiety. Purely lost in the moment. This cave is amazing. They light it up with lights and play an opera to accompany them. Definitly a highlight of the trip. I think it's kind of comical that I can jump out of plane with hardly any fear but I can't walk through a guided tour of caves with 50 other people without trembling. I remember reading the brochure and you had a choice of doing a special tour where you have to suit up and scramble on your tummy through tunnels. I couldn't finish reading the paragraph just the thought of doing that makes me feel ill.

I'll leave you with a picture. The look on my face describes how I've been feeling lately. It was taken at the Beach House in Cape Tribulation which is in the Daintree National Rainforest north of Cairns. There was absolutely nothing to do there at night so Juniper and I bought a bottle of wine, which led to another bottle of wine and one fine headache the next morning. Good times. Good times.

Due to technical difficulties I don't have all my photos of the trip but I'll post a few that I do have over the next few days if I can manage it. I'll be at my sis's house in T.O until Saturday or Sunday I believe. From there I'm not sure. I would like Karen to see Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa and maybe Montreal. That's a tall order for nine days - but I'm looking forward to serving it up.

Canada here I come. It'll be so good to be home. Give my Tim's.