Category: Travel

In the Air

Posted on by Caroline
Amelia and Duke and I are currently in the air, about two hours from Honolulu. We’re on our way to go visit my parents for close to a week. The main agenda item is to visit with Grandy and Opa. While it hasn’t actually been that long since we saw them at Christmas, living halfway around the world has made it feel like longer. We’ll also do a little bit of shopping while we’re there and remind ourselves that some parts of the world aren’t perpetually 85 degrees. After we leave Denver, we’ll head back to Davis for a few days. We have some doctors and dentist appointments that we’d like to keep, and I’m heading into the office for...Read More

A Quick Trip to Osaka

Posted on by Caroline
I’m behind on posting this, so I’m going to focus mostly on the pictures. We loved our trip to Osaka. We stayed in a ryokan within minutes of Dotonbori - an area known for street food and neon lights. A ryokan is a Japanese style inn with tatami mats, futons and onsen baths, and the kids love them. Osaka has an air of goofy exuberance that made it a really fun visit, at least when viewed through the lens of the hustle and bustle of Dotonbori. Nara was also a blast. Watching the tourists (including us) feed the deer, and getting harassed by them was one of the funniest things I’ve seen. There are signs at the entrances to the...Read More

Osaka

Posted on by Caroline
Right now, we’re about 40,000 ft above the Pacific Ocean, on our way to Osaka. I had imagined that before this trip, I would have researched the history of Osaka. Learned about the local architecture. Looked up the best restaurants for okonomiyaki. Found the best kid-friendly attractions. But it’s been a crazy week. Last Friday, they dropped off all our household goods at our new house (yay!). On Saturday, Duke and I were diagnosed with strep throat (boo!). On Sunday, Amelia came down with strep (boo!). On Monday, we checked out of the hotel (thank goodness we had the hotel for a few extra nights!). Our house is still buried in boxes, and I don’t know where anything is, but...Read More

We’re off!

Posted on by Caroline
Amelia and Duke and I left my parents house at 5:00 AM. We’re on our way to San Francisco, where we’ll meet up with Tim. From there we’ll fly to Honolulu and then on to Guam. We’ve had to say some hard goodbyes. We’re lucky that we have so many people rooting for us and wishing us well. We’re looking forward to some pen pals and occasional visits back to the states and sharing our adventures along the way. In the meantime, I think I’m done with lists now - finally! We’ve packed our last box and everything we own (almost) is on its way to the island. We’ll have work to do to get ourselves unpacked and settled in,...Read More

Intrepid travelers

Posted on by Caroline
After an early-ish start, we had an uneventful trip. We didn’t have quite as much time in Hawaii as we were hoping, but we managed to fit in a poke lunch and finding some leis for the kids. After another 7 1/2 hour flight, it’s starting to dawn on me exactly how far Guam is from San Francisco. We finally arrived at 7PM on Saturday. (Another reality that I’m finally beginning to actually understand - the 16 hour time change) After collapsing into bed, the kids were up at 4 AM. So we’re sitting in the room, waiting for the sun to rise. Waiting to see the outlines of our new life. So far, not a bad start.....