Koalas and Turtles

Catch up

2010-12-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hi
Let's catch up on life for Koala and Turtle.
Since our last post a lot has happened.

RETURN TO OZ

Koala went back to Oz for a visit in March 2008 for a number or reasons.
1) My best friends wedding. Congrats Kerrie and John.
2) My sisters 21st birthday. Congrats Leanne.

Kerrie and John

Family and friends

Best friends

Singing a song for our little sister

My beautiful baby sister - Leanne

Dancing queens

HERE are some more photos of my time in OZ

HEALTH

When I came back to Japan I took a huge life changing step and I quit drinking alcohol. YES, I quit drinking on May 2nd, 2008. I spent 2-3 months going to AA meetings to help me quit and I haven't had a drop since. Thanks a million to everyone, especially my amazing husband aka Turtle, who supported me during this tough transition. It is the best thing I have ever done and I hope I can stick to it. One day at a time they say, but I do hope and believe that I will never drink again.
We have had a bad run with the flu and some injuries in 2010 but nothing too major.

KYOTO TRIP and HOKKAIDO TRIP

We also went to Kyoto in May 2008 for a few days. Poor Turtle had a broken foot, and Koala almost had a broken back from pushing him in a wheelchair around Kyoto.lol

Ready for our journey.

Crutch-man

Camera on Wheels

My favorite temple

Turtles like it too

Kinkakiji - Golden Temple

In Feb 2009 we went to the Sapporo Snow festival in Hokkaido. The best holiday in my life so far.

Airport

OTARU

Making friends

Igloo

Snow luv

Turtle needed a cold drink

Snow boat- this was so much fun

Build a snowman

Snowman land

Frosty is born

Working it

Snow Sculptures

MORE PHOTOS here

WORK

At the same time I started a new job at Chit Chat Cafe English school where I was the only teacher for close to a year for all adult, kids and baby classes- this was a tough but very educational and growing experience. Thank you Natalie and Mika, I could learn a lot from both of you and now have my own school called Koala Kim's English in Haruhino.

WE MOVED

In August 2009 we moved from our apartment in Chiyogaoka to a brand new terrace house in Haruhino. Still renting.
We moved so that we could start Koala Kim's English. Our friend is the headmaster of Haruhino Junior High school, and he recommended that we move to Haruhino.
We have been here 16 months and are a part of the community. Koala volunteers twice a week at the school, runs English book reading classes 4 times a month at the community center and teaches English in our new home. We love living in Haruhino, it is a new area with lots of open space and everyone is very friendly.

VISITORS

During this time we had Gavin visit us from the Sunshine Coast; Simon, Sam and Sylvie from Byron Bay; and Jak from Brisbane. They stayed with us in Chiyogoaka.

My cousin, Molly, from Ireland had a 8 hour wait at Narita Airport. So we picked her up, went to a Temple, had lunch and dropped her back.
We also met up with Joanne, Kevin and their 3 boys in Tokyo for a day.

Ayako from Kyoto, Darlene and Brad from the Gold Coast, Cedric from France, Leanne and Sarah from Brisbane, Jake form Brisbane and Koalas parents from Brisbane have stayed with us in Haruhino.

Here are just a few of our visitors

Jake

Leanne and Sarah

Molly

Jak

Ayako

PETS

Big Fella- the Turtle, and Orange guy and Red guy - the Newts came with us from the old place to Haruhino.

Koala- the Guinea pig joined our family in December 2009.

Bic- the Dog is still at Turtles parents house.

Sasha- the Cat passed away in Australia at a ripe old age of 17 yrs. RIP my beautiful Sasha

FAMILIES

Both of our families have had a few health problems but everyone is ok at the moment :-)Koalas Parents and sister came for a visit, now we are waiting on Otooto Kevin to come and see our new place. Hint Hint

TURTLE

Turtle has been studying hard and passed a few English exams this year - congratulations. His English is so good now.

Now he is my right hand man in running Koala Kim's English. We both work other jobs too, but Turtle really puts in long hours and is a champion.
Lucky me:-)

Hopefully he will add something to this blog for our Japanese readers- hint hint.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT TO LET US KNOW IF ANYONE OUT ThERE IS READING OUR BLOG :-)

That's all for now. Bye

While you wait....

2010-12-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

... Check out my other blog for my new business here

Long time no see. お久し振り

2010-12-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Wow
That was such a long hibernation. We almost forgot that this blog existed, sorry.

Well we are still alive and have lots of news. Watch this space.......

Sorry we were hibernating.

2009-03-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

Hi there
We have decided to come out of hibernation to support Earth hour.
So come on everyone.... help us come outta hibernation by turning off your lights for 1 hour on March 28th from 830 -930pm. We promise that if you can help us and the world by supporting Earth Hour then we might just be able to muster up enough energy to start blogging again.

Thanks
Koala and Turtle

note to self.. don't plan to blog at 830pm this Saturday night.

2008 - first visitors from Oz- Part 2

2008-05-25T07:34:00.001-07:00

January 18th

This was the day we had all been waiting for. Who wouldn't look forward to a day of sitting in cramped yoga style positions while watching giant babies trying to push each other out of a large mud playpen? Luckily the beer and sake was flowing.
YES YOU GUESSED IT...we went to Ryogoku Kokugikan (Ryogoku National Sports Arena) to watch live SUMO.

Actually it was a great experience and a definite must do for anyone who lives in or visits Japan.

First we stopped off in Akihabara and Ryan and Sarah looked at a few digital HD recorders. they found a bargain but decided to think about it while watching the Sumo and ended up getting the camera on the way home.

Words cant describe the sumo experience so here are some pictures. Sorry some of these aren't such good quality

Outside the RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN

Sarah and Ryan in front of Ryogoku Kokugikan

Us in front of Ryogoku Kokugikan

Posing with a Sumo baby

Nobori in front of Ryogoku Kokugikan

Sumo

The Opening Ceremony

Asashoryu versus Miyabiyama

Food

Hakuho versus Kisenosato

Infamous Sumo Babies

2008 - first visitors from Oz- Part 1

2008-04-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

Back in January we had our first visitors. Ryan (Mac), Sarah and Wilson (Sarah's bump) came from Oz and stayed with us for a few days on their way to the snow in Niseko.
It was fantastic fun and guys you can stay with us any time. Not sure our neighbours will be too keen. Lets just say that the 4.2 of us were snoring loud enough to drown out the guy down stairs. Of course lots of beers, food, fun and sights will do that.

January 16th
We met them at the platform of the Narita Express. Sarah, Turtle and Mac at Shinjuku Station
Sarah, Koala and Mac at Shinjuku Station

We then headed through Kabuki-cho, the Red Light District, where we bumped into some interesting characters.

Ryan and Sarah pose with a new half Onigiri (a transgender person dressed up as a riceball)

Final destination, Ikkyu, an Izakaya (restaurant/bar) that's a favourite with uni students. Cheap prices and big serves.

Ryan got to drink beer on the train.....

.....and Sarah quickly becomes one of the locals.

January 17th
The next day took a walk around the neighborhood. I love taking visitors for a walk to the end of our street and showing them this

GoJuuNoTo 5 story pagoda at Korinji temple

GoJuuNoTo 5 story pagoda and headstones at Korinji temple

Main temple at Kourinji temple

Mac and Sarah at Korinji temple in Chiyogaoka

Sarah using an Oke -bucket and hishaku-scoop to clean the headstones

We then went to the local Cafe and encountered a Yakuza lunch meeting. I am serious!! Sorry no pictures for obvious reasons. After a feed we hoped on the trains and headed to Asakusa.

Asahi Flame -otherwise known as the golden poo

KaminariMon - Thunder gate at Sensouji temple also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple

Nakamise dori - middle shopping street

Thunder gate

Gojuunoto 5 storey pagoda at Asakusa

Main temple at Asakusa

Sarah tries some incense purification

Ryan tries some water purification- keep trying buddy

hyottoko- fireman mask and okame-woman mask

A Japanese god

Shishi lion mask

After a long day of walking around we headed back to meet Turtle at his parents place and then headed out for dinner and bed.

Mac, Sarah and Maki-chan

Daddy turtle- Katsumi

Misa, Mac, Mummy Turtle (Sumiyo) and Sarah

Koala and Turtle have been slacking off...again

2008-04-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yes...We know we promised to post more often. No excuses this time!!! We will just get on with it!!

Well, it is Spring here in Japan!! A crazy season it has been. But more of that later.
I have a love hate relationship with spring.

I hate it because I get really bad hayfever but...

I love the flowers budding and blooming. The birds start chirping again. You know all that Its a new beginning, rebirth and all of of those sentiments that I am a sucker for. I love Japanese Spring because of the cherry blossoms and the fantastic event called Hanami. Hana means flower and mi means look/watch /view. So flower viewing or more to the point cherry blossom viewing events are right up my alley, because in Japan nothing is celebrated with out a bunch of friends, food and drinks.

At Shukugawara, Kawasaki with the Iishida Family

At Tamagawa with the Mamoru, Yuka and the gang

At Shukugawara with Turtle and Bic

Photos of Kame/Turtle , Bic and some guys fooling around

Cherry blossoms and Carp

Cherry blossoms on the river

Photos from around Shukugawara near where Turtle was born and grew up

Where the hell is Matt?

2008-01-28T05:24:00.000-08:00

UPDATE- Please scroll down for the update.

Recently I joined a yahoo group call MIJ- Married In Japan and one of the members , Claire, sent me a link to this video

The guy in the video is Matt Harding and you can read all about him here and check out his website and follow his travel map here. Make sure you visit his site. His story is a pretty cool one.

In the video above the focus was on places, but now Matt Harding is travelling around the world again and this time the focus is people.

On January 27th 2008, Turtle and Koala were lucky enough to meet up with Matt and about 60 or so other people who like dancing badly. We all met up in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, in this spot.

It was freezing cold. This event wasn't advertised.
Matt just sent emails to people who have subscribed to his website and then relied on word of mouth.

We had to get our picture taken and sign a release form first.

It was sooo much fun and we took some props to help get into the silly and fun mood.

Other people dressed up too.

We met Matt, who is an amazingly friendly guy. He took the time to chat with everyone and let us t ake photos with him afterwards.

The whole thing only lasted about 20 minutes , but I never would have thought that dancing badly (to no music) with a group of strangers would have been so much fun.
I reckon if we all came together and did silly things like this more often, the world would be a much better place.

Thanks Claire for telling me about this event and introducing me to Matt Harding.
Thanks Matt for dancing badly and sharing it with the world!!!!

MAKE SURE TO check out the website and keep an eye out for Koala and Turtle in the official video which is due to be released on June 21st, 2008.

Here is a short video of Koala and Matt dancing badly

UPDATE

MATT HAS RELEASED HIS 2008 FOOTAGE HERE
We are in the Tokyo group of people about 3minutes into the clip.
You cant really see us but maybe if you pause it at some stages you can see my mask in the back left hand corner somewhere
...but who care we are in the video and we were part of a unique and fantastic experience.....yay
THANK AGAIN, MATT

High to Low

2008-01-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

HIGH

I woke up on Wednesday morning absolutely freezing. Finally, I dragged myself out of bed and looked outside to the spectacular sight of snow.

I was so excited that I was jumping up and down for joy. I didn't even put on a jacket, instead I grabbed the video camera and attempted to go out onto our balcony to do some filming.

Man it was cold but the snow flakes were huge.

This isn't the first time I have seen snow, but I still squeal like a little girl whenever I see it. This is the first time that I have seen such big snowflakes.

I got on the phone to Turtle to share my excitement and then decided to get out of my Pajamas and into warmer clothes.

LOW

Then I turned on my computer, ready to catch up on the news, emails, Face Book and preparing of lessons for my private English Students.

Talk about going from a high to a low.

Yes, I read the news about the sudden and shocking death of one of my favourite Aussie actors Heath Ledger.
If you want more details on this very talented and in my opinion "a very sexy" actors life and death please read this article.

I didn't know you personally Heath, but I was one of your fans, mate. Turtle loves you too. Our hearts go out to your family and friends. You will be missed.
Rest In Peace

It's 2008, and its gonna be great...Mate

2008-01-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

So its a new year everyone. HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007 was a huge year for this very tired Turtle and Koala.
We had 2 weddings, a trip to Australia, and bought a new car.
I did a 6 month Japanese course and we both studied and sat exams.
I quit smoking and stuck to it.
We mourned the loss of a few hamsters and a few relatives,
but we also welcomed a few more baby friends into the world.
We celebrated the engagements and marriages of a few friends.
We unfortunately lost some friends but gained many more new and exciting friendships too.
Can you believe that my Dad turned 60 and Turtle turned 40!!!
Also on Turtles birthday we celebrated 2yrs since Koala and Turtle first met.
...the list goes on.
2007 was for us the best year and most important year of our lives so far, but boy are we glad its over and maybe we can relax in 2008. whew

2008 is looking to be a fun year so far... just a few important dates to look forward to so far...
Ryan and Sarah's visit to Japan -January 16th
Kerrie and Johns Wedding -March 8th
Our 1yr legal wedding anniversary and my sister, Leanne's 21st - March 17th
Our 1yr Japanese wedding ceremony anniversary -April 8th
Our 1yr Australian wedding ceremony anniversary -August 13th
Also many births, marriages, birthdays and fun to look forward too...YAY...

Have you made any New Years Resolutions? Or more to the point have you made some and broken them yet?? I made many and have broken all of them so far. LOL
The only one that I am going to share with you it that I am going to try and add more to this blog and attempt to stop it from dying.
But I need your help and support. So please help us/me keep motivated by doing these things
Leave comments
Put a pin on the map
Tell your friends
Put a link to my blog on your blog and I will do the same
Most importantly feel free to nag, hassle, yell, abuse, or just throw something at me when I get slack.

till next time...we both hope you have a great 2008 and thanks for all your support in out first year of married life
luv Koala and Turtle

What are you doing for KURISUMASU ??

2007-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

What are you doing for Christmas? In Japan Christmas/ kurisumasu is not a holiday. sux doesnt it!!!!

Pants Pankuro　パンツぱんくろう

2007-12-05T00:16:00.001-08:00

More toilet training from Japanese TV. Subtitles are a bit difficult to read but very funny.

Japanese Toilet Training for Kids (English Subtitled)

2007-10-24T09:23:00.001-07:00

Exciting stuff. Who knew that toilet training could be so much fun!!!!

The Bottom Biting Bug (Oshiri Kajiri Mushi) Subtitled

2007-10-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

This is what our kids will learn if we decided to bring up kids in Japan. hmmmmm

Fraser Island and coral reef

2007-09-03T23:19:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

Koalas tell whats been happening lately

2007-07-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

Hi, if anyone reads this blog and has been wondering what has been happening with Koalas and Turtles lately, SORRY. Life is busy...yes ...good excuse,but it works, sort of.
Well I think that I have almost recovered from our spectacular wedding which we celebrated in Tokyo, April 8Th, 2007. Maybe I have recovered enough to add some posts about the event on this blog....then again, maybe not quite yet. The reason being that we have yet another wedding celebration in Oz coming up in a few weeks. Gee, will we be glad when the wedding stuff is all over. If it sounds like I am complaining, no I am not... actually I am looking forward to it, but also we both are looking forward to not having to plan anything, other than starting a family, getting spouse visas, moving to Oz...oh my god.... sounds like a lot of paperwork...oh well.

Anyway...here's whats been happening in my life

SCHOOL

Well for the last 3 or 4 weeks I have been studying at Kai Language school in Shin Okubo, Tokyo. It is pretty full on but heaps of fun and I am learning a lot. My class is from 13:20 to 17:10 Monday to Friday. There are 13 students... mostly from Korea and Taiwan, 1 German, 1 Swede, 1 Polish, 1 Brit, 1 American and 1 Aussie, plus myself. A good mix. We have 2 teachers, Mr Okubo on Mon,Wed and Fri....and Ms Miyagi on Tues and Thurs.
Okubo Sensei is a very fast paced and experienced teacher. If any student even so much as lets their thought wander from the lesson at hand, he knows in an instant and will fire a question their way so fast, that you swear he must have been the fastest pitcher in his high school baseball club days. This man makes me study with so much concentration that I don't even have time to form an opinion about him, good or bad.
Miyagi Sensei on the other hand is a newbie, full of smiles, enthusiasm and so much patience... its a welcomed break from the 3 days of intense study with Okubo Sensei. she also loves drawing pictures to explain a point...very fun. but I do find my self slacking off in her class and their tends to be a lot of private little conversations springing up when ever she pauses or turns her back. So what kind of teacher do you like...the stern iron fist or the friendly gentle prod????
I think I actually learn more with the iron fist approach, but the gentle prod approach is a lot more enjoyable.
Our week consists of 5 days of grammar classes for the first 2 periods. during the 3rd period on Mondays we do essay writing, Tuesdays is reading, Wed is listening, Thurs is culture. for the 4Th period Mon to Thurs is KANJI. I hate kanji, in fact the only reason I could like kanji is because we don't have it on Fridays. Fridays 3rd and 4th period is revision of all the grammar we learned during the week. I am sure there will be loads more kanji slagging/bitchin in my blog later.
I have to say that my favourite classes are listening...cos I find it easy and Culture. Today in Culture class we had a Japanese tea ceremony, other days we have learnt about Sumo, Tanabata, and Obon.
Our school also organises events outside of school hours. I went to an Izakaya- Japanese bar/pub night and met students and teachers from other levels which was loads of fun. There was a Yukata-summer kimono and a Kabuki event as well as a trip to Mt Fuji coming up. I didn't manage to sign up for these though. I really wanted to go to the mt Fuji climb but I will be in Oz then. Tomorrow we are having our summer holiday breakup party. The German girl, Susan and I have volunteered to help. Should be fun. I also managed to rope Turtle and my mate Tomo to come along.

WORK

I managed to get my self a part time job in a bar. No I don't make drinks... I get paid to drink with customers, make conversation and sing karaoke. I am sure most of you who know anything about Japan are thinking...oh my god she is a hostess. Well I suppose that's what you would call it, except for the fact that I don't actually have any physical contact with the customers. Its great. I met the Mama (woman who runs the bar) while I was out drinking one night. I was telling my mate how I was bored and needed some part time work. She piped in and asked me if I wanted to work at her bar. I promptly told her that I was no idiot, was married and knew what those bars were like. She said no probs but that I didn't have to do what other hostesses did and that I could turn up in jeans and a tshirt if I wanted. So my hubby and I went and checked it out. the pay is very ordinary considering I don't entice the customers with my clothes(or lack of) and I don't have any physical contact with them, but its a pretty sweet deal. I can work whenever I want to, wear what I want to, and I can drink or not drink if I want to and its great for my Japanese. The only complaint I have is that is smokey and that sux especially since I gave up since New years and now detest smoking. Oh well...
I also have a private English student who lives a 3 min walk from me. Our lessons are once a week for an hour. Maho is 14 years old and basically Bilingual. She is a returnee student from England. She loves horse riding and is a pleasure to spend time with. So, I am definitely going to have to find some books for a 14yr old with a horse riding theme for her when I am in Oz.

OTHER STUFF

Another reason I haven't been blogging is FACEBOOK. I was addicted but am getting over it now, thank god. Its so crazy how many peeps from your past you can find on this site. Good thing is it got me back in touch with some old uni friends and some friends who used to live with me in Hello house.
Turtle and I have been getting into a few DVD series. Every week on wed, he can get half price hire of DVDs from Tsutaya. At the moment we at various stages of watching Prison Break, Lost, The OC, Desperate Housewives, and the Sopranos.

We have been to a few festivals, birthday celebrations, and housewarmings. For my birthday in June, Kame organised a BBQ for me by the river. A total of 45 of our friends came. It was an awesome birthday. See Birthday photos here

Last weekend we went to our first movie together as a couple. Borat...well I was worried that Kame might not get it but he laughed so much that I had trouble hearing a lot of the dialogue. The best movie ever he reckons, so it looks like I will have to chase up a copy of Ali G with Japanese subtitles for him.
Finally some great news is that Kames oldest sister, Yuka, told us 3 weeks ago that she had decide to come to Brisbane for our Oz wedding Party and ceremony in August. Then even better news was that Kames 73year old Mum, Sumiyo, who has never left Japan or her handicapped daughter Makichan, decided to come too. Its a dream come true for all of us, as its always been Sumiyos dream to go to another country, and now its really happening. Misa, the middle daughter, is going to look after Makichan and the Dad, Katsumi. As you can imagine everyone in my family and Kames family are really excited. Especially Sumiyo... and now that she has a passport... watch out world!!!

PHOTOS

KAI Izakaya Party at Cheers Bar in Shinjuku

Followed by Karaoke in Kabuki cho

Lots of beer was consumed this night.

Then there was BORAT the movie

Koalas and Turtles are wondering who reads this blog

2007-06-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

We have just added the Bravenet Guestmap Feature to our blog. You will find it on the lefthand side under the Counter. We have been wondering who looks at our blog and where you are, so please take the time and put a pin on our map. Its easy and will keep us, especially TURTLE, motivated to keep going with this blog. Lets see which country has the most pins. Thanks from the very slow bloggers Koala and Turtle.

Check this out, will make you cry with laughter

2007-06-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

My childhood buddy and a fellow South African, Ryan Mac posted this tear jerkingly funny story about Curry. a must read Hows the Serenity: June 2007

Koalas in Korea

2007-06-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Kim returns to Japan via Korea August　23rd to 29th, 2006

In order to save some money on my airfare to Oz from Japan I flew Korea airlines. Since I have been in Japan, which is going on 3yrs now, I haven't done any travelling. So considering my old Nova buddy Jon was living and working in Korea at the time, I took advantage of paying 100 Aussie dollars extra to stay in Korea for a week on my way back from Oz. I was pretty nervous about travelling on my own ,but decided hey if I was gonna be making the plunge into marriage ,then going to Korea on me own shd be a piece of cake.

It was great.. Although it wasn't until I was on the plane from Brissie that I realised I didn't have a hotel booked for my first night, no guide book and didn't know a word of Korean. The woman sitting next to me, through broken English, suggested I catch a bus from Incheon airport to Itaewon, where I would be able to find a cheap hotel for the night and then could catch a bus easily the next day to meet Jon who lived in Jinju.

I managed to book a motel through airport info, and when I finally arrived at the motel, I think they were really surprised to see that I was an Aussie Kim and not a Korean Kim. My room was tiny and stinking hot, so I decided to go in search of food while the air con cooled down the room.

Itaewon is like the Roppongi of Japan with a bit more of a stench. Man this place was filthy and it stank. Also maybe it was the jet lag, lack of sleep and food, or maybe it was the fact that I was in a foreign country by myself, but I felt quite vunerable as I walked the main drag in search of food. After 15 minutes of walking past very spicy smelling food joints and the usual fast food chains, the only other places to eat at... looked like bars. Now normally I would have no probs going into a bar by myself. ,especially in Japan. Give me a drink and I can feel at home anywhere, but common sense told me that there were way too many scary drunk westerners for me to handle, in my fragile state, that night.
Without realising it I found myself back in front of my hotel, which just happened to be right above a MacDonald's. Now anyone who knows me well, knows that my 2 years of working at the Golden Arches, while I was a vego, has turned me off Maccas for good...altho I do very occasionally give in to their thick shakes. Well sorry to shock you all... but on my first night in Korea, out of extreme fatigue and hopelessness, I gave in and entered the golden arches of hell. That night I had nightmares...no, seriously, I did.

The next morning when I woke up I decided that as I was in Seoul and my accommodation was pretty cheap, I might as well stay another night so I could spend a full day exploring the city. After calling Jon I ventured out and hopped on the Seoul City Tour Bus. It was great and I paid the 10,000 won or a bit less than 10bucks and could get on and off as I pleased. Plus I got discounted entry into attractions. Also they had headphones with commentary in 5 diff languages. The air conditioned bus was awesome and I was surprised at how nice some parts of the city of Seoul is. Great architecture.

My first stop was Namsangol Traditional Village. Really interesting and very beautiful. I spent quite a bit of time here. I don't know much about Korean history, so it was really interesting to see the traditional architecture. The traditional garden was really beautiful too.

As I was walking around I came across Seoul's Thousand Year Time Capsule which was was established to store 600 relics, which represent the lifestyles of the average person living in Seoul; to commemorate Seoul’s 600Th anniversary. The opening date is November 29, 2394. Pity I wont be around to see it. After checking out the traditional handicrafts I decided it was way to hot and humid, so headed back to the bus stop.

I decided to avoid heat exhaustion and to try and fend off the migraine that was starting to set in, it would be wise just to stay on the bus for a while. We drove past the National Theatre of Korea, went up past Seoul Tower and the Dongdaemun Markets.

I passed a few palaces and finally hopped off at Jongmyo Shrine, which is dedicated to the spirits of Korea's royal ancestors and was registered on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995. It was awesome. I just walked around for ages. they were setting up for some kind of event. The whole works, red carpets, lanterns loads of waiters in tuxedos. I was lucky enough to see some dancers rehearsing traditional Korean dancing.

Finally I headed back towards the bus stop and was contemplating doing the night tour after some dinner. Once I got back to the motel, showered and went in search of food again I was pretty buggered. I figured to avoid spice, I should just stick to Fast food so I hit burger King and ordered a plain whopper. I headed back to the motel got back into air conditioning and settled down for my feed. Oh My God it was the spiciest burger I have ever had. I drank about 3 litres of water in one gulp after the first bite. I was so shitty and felt sick so ended up getting into bed and breaking into the Cheezels and Timtams that I had bought as a present for someone back in Japan. Sorry..... I think eventually the fumes from my burger knocked me out.

The next day luckily I woke up really early, so I decided that my main priority was to find some edible food. Subway saved the day. I bought 2 chicken Teriyaki subs and headed off to find out the bus info for Jinju. The only bus left in the afternoon so after packing I arranged with the motel to keep my stuff and I headed off to the National Museum of Korea.
This museum was huge, and it was such a shame I had such a short time. When it started pouring outside I decided it was time to hit the gift shop, buy an umbrella and head back to the motel.

I managed to make it back, get my bags and hail a cab. The taxi driver was a crazy but very skilled driver. Korean drivers are crazy, especially in peak hour, but my driver managed to avoid getting hit numerous times and I made it to the bus station in one piece. I was just praying that the bus driver was a bit more of a slow paced kinda guy.

This was my 3rd night with no alcohol, not much food and I was exhausted. I was so grateful for the comfy, roomy seats on the bus and I decided to get a bit of shut eye before meeting Jon. Cos when Jon and I get together there sure to be plenty of the amber liquid flowing. Finally I made it to Jinju about 6 hours later. when I got off and asked in sign language where the phones were the bus driver promptly handed me his mobile, he spoke to Jon in Korean put me in a taxi and I was on my way. Very very helpful and friendly.

When I met Jon outside his apartment Seeing a familiar face was a sight for sore eyes. We dropped off my bags and headed into town with Jon's friend Matt for a feed. After a few beers called hite, I was refuelled and good to go. funny that.

The next few days and nites were filled with lots of drinking, meeting many awesome people, Koreans, Canadians, British, and Aussies.

I got to ride on the back of Jon's scooter, went shopping, went to a disco, drank many strange drinks, watched Jon eat many strange foods. It was awesome. I also visited the Jinjuseong Castle, which has spectacular views of the Namgang River. This castle is where some 70,000 army soldiers and civilians died trying to defend the castle from Japanese invaders in one of the three major battles of the Imjinwaeran (Jinjuuseong Castle battle of 1592) The grounds were absolutely beautiful.

Finally my stay came to an end, and I had to head back to Incheon Airport but I had an awesome time in Korea. Thank to all the kind people in Korea who helped me, all of Jon's Friends and especially to you Jon, it was wicked mate.

Turtles and Koalas last days Downunder

2007-06-13T03:24:00.000-07:00

12　August　－　22　August, 2006 PART 3

Well needless to say everyone was fairly tired and hung over after the Engagement party. Kerrie, John, Dad, Kame and I were the troopers and stayed up till about 2am drinking gin and joking on the deck. There were a few sore heads the next morning, except for Kame who miraculously never gets hangovers. This really impressed Mum and Dad who battle to get any of us up before noon especially to help clear up after parties. I knew I had made the right decision in accepting Kames marriage proposal, when, by the time I dragged myself out of bed, he had not only finished helping clean up everything but also promptly made me a huge cup of coffee. Sooo spoilt.

That night Christian came and picked us up and we went to The Fox hotel for Kerrie's 29th birthday. After that Chris and I took Kame to The Beat, where Chris and I used to hangout at in our youth when we were into techno. Kame got to experience his first gay club and also the ordeal of trying to catch a cab home in Brisbane on a Sat night.

We finally arrived back at Ferny Hills just in time to see Kev and Rachael off as they headed to Cairns. Mum and Dad should have had their own personal express lane to Bris Airport, as the next morning Leanne was off to Europe. Followed by Kame who headed back to Japan on the Tuesday and myself back to Japan via Korea on the Wednesday. Kame spent his last 2 days doing some last minute shopping and seeing the sites of Brisbane. He definitely had a great time and keeps talking about going back to live in Ferny Hills with Mum and Dad someday. Hmmm ...no offence Mum and Dad but I might have to get my own pad a bit closer to the city. I promise you guys and Kame can visit sometimes.

Turtles work too much and Koalas too little

2007-06-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Well if you have been wondering why we have been so slow going with our blog..its because I have been waiting for Kame to update the Japanese version as we tell our story. Due his hardworking Japanese work ethic and very busy schedule he barely has time to fart.... Where as I have plenty of time at the moment while waiting to start Japanese school in July.
Yes, that's right, I am going back to school..Yuck. 3months, 5days a week, 5hours a day. I will be a student at KAI Japanese Language School in Shin-Okubo near Shinjuku. My mates Blair and Agatha from Hello house were students at there and both highly recommended it. Gotta start getting all that Kanji and polite Japanese grammar under my belt, instead of all that beer I seem to have been drinking. Being a housewife is very thirsty work I tell ya.

Recently we bought a new computer desk and comfy chair from Ikea so I have no excuse not to update our blog.
So please be patient and I will continue with the wedding update etc (without Japanese-Sorry to all our Japanese friends)over the next week or so.
I promise.

Turtles and Koalas Engagement Party Downunder

2007-05-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

12　August　－　22　August, 2006 PART 2

Sorry for the long wait . u know the story life is busy blah blah blah.... Anyway the Down under trip comes to an end....
On Friday August 18th,2006....After a quick day tour of Bris Vegas and some last minute shopping, Kame and I headed back to Ferny Hills. On the train Kame was very nervously trying to finish writing and practice his speech for the party Mum and Dad had organised for that night. Mum and Dad started organising a Hello/Goodbye Party a few weeks before, as it was the first time in a while that they had had all 3 of us kids under one roof even if it was only for a week or so. And soon they would have to say goodbye to the baby of the fam, Leanne, who was venturing on a European trip for 6months. Then Kame and I stole the limelight by deciding to announce our engagement, so it turned out to be quite a party.
And what a great party it was. It was awesome catching up with old school mates, drinking mates, housemates, family friends and new friends. Plus it was the first time for many to see Mum and Dads new place in Ferny Hills. Kame and I wanted to keep things really low key so most people didn't know about the engagement until that night, which really added to the fun atmosphere of the night.
Thank you Mum, Dad, Kevin, Leanne and all our great friends who made out night so special. Here are some photos as a reminder of an awesome night had by all.

Kame Down Under

2007-05-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

８月１２日　－　２２日, 2006
PART ONE　
この度、blogを始める事にしました。　Kim & Kame のこれまでの諸々を書いていこうと思います。　まずは、僕（Kame）がAustraliaへKimの家族に初めて会いに行った
時の話から・・・。
僕らが結婚を決意したのは2006年の3月です。　僕はKimの両親に挨拶をするためにAustralia行きを計画し、英会話schoolに通うことを決めました。
普段、僕とKimの会話は僕が日本語、Kimが英語というのが自然なスタイルです。
お互いそれが一番楽なんです。　　しかし、Kimの両親と真面目なお話をするのにそれはマズイので、3ヶ月間Shane English schoolに通いました。　
どうにか３ヶ月学校に通ったものの、自分のレベルが上達したのかどうか・・・？
とても“喋れる様になった！”とは思いません。
とにかく、８月のお盆休みを利用して生まれて初めてAustraliaに行きましたよ！
日本の真夏はAustraliaの真冬なんですけど、全然暖かかったです。Brisbaneは。
それに、緑が沢山あって、綺麗な野鳥が沢山飛んでいて、広くて、空気のいい、そして
みんながとてもfriendly! なところですよ。

ついに、Kimの両親と空港でご対面です。　緊張したのはほんのひと時、すぐにrelaxしました。　ていうか、relaxさせてくれる人達で良かった！
車で３０分走って彼女の実家に到着。　よく整備された綺麗な住宅街の一角に、ありましたよ！Eldridge家が。裏庭や、テラス、でかいバーベキューグリル、さらにはキャンピングカーまで！　羨ましいぞ！OZ life.

そして家族みんな（Kim,両親、弟＆彼女、妹）でGold Coastへと３日間の旅行に
行きました。　道中は大きな渋滞もなく、道路もきれいで、driverのマナーが良いのにびっくりしました。　だからとても走りやすいところ。
途中、友達のライアンの家によりBBQ partyをやりました。　やっぱり出てくるでかいBBQ stand.　すっかりご馳走になり、ホテルへ向かいました。

Gold coastのKirra beachというところで、冬ということもありそれほど混んではなかったです。　　でも、全然寒くはない、ていうか暑い。
その日の晩は、近くに住むEldridge家の親戚一家と一緒にdinnerです。
その一家になんと日本人がいましたよ！ジュリアスとエルフリーダの息子の　マーカスの奥さんはさちこさんという日本人です。
彼女は大阪出身で、イギリスで仕事をしてる時にマーカスと出会ったそうです。
そうそう、Miaちゃんっていう二人の子供がかわいかったなぁ・・。

Kirra beach の近くのgreen mount beachでサーフィンしましたよ。
レンタルのでかいボードで、パワーのある波に挑戦したけど、揉まれて帰ってきました・・。　その後currumbin wildlife sanctuaryという動物園に行って、コアラを抱っこし、カンガルーと戯れ、クロコダイルを触って、アボリジニーダンスを見て、ダンサーと一緒に写真を撮ったら、「アリガット！」って日本語が返ってきた。

この動物園散策？には僕にとって重要な意味合いがあって、実は彼女のお父さんに例の挨拶（お嬢さんをください！みたいなやつ）をするべく機会をうかがっていたのでありました。　なかなかお父さんと二人きりになれないし、Kimには「まだなの！？」と
急かされるし・・。　緊張し、焦ったひと時でした。
しかし、ついに言いましたよ。“I want ask you for　your daughters hand in marriage”
するとお父さんは、“already”と一言。　僕はその一言が “もうすでにokしてるよ”
という意味だと思って安心し、お父さんも英語で、「君はKimのbest partnerだと思うよ。」といってくれたのです。　まあ、一段落ついて一安心です。

Kirra beachを後にして、僕とKimだけでByron　bayというAustralia大陸で一番東端にある観光地に行きました。　その場所も本当にきれいでロマンチックなところで、海では鯨に、イルカに海亀まで見ましたよ！
その日の夜は、満天の星空、月明かりが照らす海、心地よい波の音。　そこで僕はKimに指輪を渡しました。

Turtle goes downunder

2007-05-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

12　August　－　22　August, 2006
PART ONE　

We could start right at the beginning, but WHEN is the beginning? When we first met?, When I came to Japan? Hmmmm.....
Anyway we have decided to start WHEN Kame went to Brisbane, Australia to meet my family.

We had already discussed marriage in March 2006, but Kame decided that he really wanted to do the traditional western thing ask Ron (My Dad) in person.So we booked our flights and let the fam know that we were coming over. Next Kame decided he had to brush up on his English, but after joining Shane English School for 3 months, 2 lessons/week Kame was still very shy about speaking English.

So while I was in Australia ,2 weeks before Kame joined me, every time anyone asked me

"How's his English?" My response was always"I dunno. He can understand most things cos I only speak to him in English, but I've never heard him speak, he always answers me in Japanese."

Well the morning Kame arrived at Brisbane airport, Mum Dad and I were waiting for him. i didn't recognize the man who walked off the plane. not only had he swapped his boy-ish jeans, bright t-shirt , bright orange sneakers and cap trademark for smart pants, shoes and a jacket, but the man could speak English.!!! Gee did I look like a liar.
Kame was really amazed at the size of our house compared to the Japanese houses, and the fact that we had a front garden and a back garden. But then Dad shocked him even more by cooking breakfast.

But not to worry Kame soon shocked us all after breakfast and proved just how good his English skills were when Kevin(my 31yr old bro) and I were having a friendly SSGS (sibling shit giving session). Kame had brought some Vitamin Jelly for me from Japan and I was explaining to Mum, Dad, Kevin and Leanne(my 20yr old sis) that they were the best hangover cure.

Kev threw a typical younger bro fat comment my way by asking "Why do you need more jelly Kim, don't you already have enough?"

I quickly threw back in Japanese. "Urusei, Kono yaroo"

All eyes turned to Kame. "What did she say?" Kev asked him.

Kame very casually answered "shut the f##k up", quickly followed by a gasp,　quick glance at my parents and a really embarrassed "Oh !!! I am so sorry"
We all pissed ourselves laughing and I think Kame was surprised but relieved at every ones reaction to his not so perfect translation error.

So of course everyone loved him straightaway, especially when after four hours of being in the country he was out in the back yard helping Dad fix the fence. I think he was trying to make up for the "Shut the f##k up" comment. Better watch out Kame,next trip Dad might have you rounding up the sheep, mate. Especially if you get any better at English.

The next few days were great. We hired spent a few days at Kirra Beach, Gold Coast in a 3bed room apartment. On the way we stopped in at Nerang to see Ryan Mac and Sarah for a S.A/Aussie BBQ. Ryan Mac and his fam are old friends of our from South Africa. When Kev and I were growing up in SA our families used to go caravanning together every school hols. so we go way back. Ryan and Sarah recently got married April 21st at the Gold Coast and are honeymooning in South Africa. Congrats you guys from us both.
Anyway while we were staying at Kirra we also managed to catch up with Elfreda(my Fathers cousin from South Africa) and her husband Julius, who have been living in Nerang for at least 20yrs now. Their son Markus who is married to a lovely girl from Osaka, Sachiko, and Mia(their little girl) also came with. We all headed down to Kirra Surf club for some tucker, beers and family bonding.

Another highlight for Kame was a few hours of surfing at greenmount beech. He was very excited to get to surf in real waves. We also went to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where he got to hold a koala, a baby croc and pose with aboriginal dancers. he finally got up the courage to speak to Dad about getting married in the reptile house of all places. Anyway Dad said "Already" which Kame interpreted as I said yes already, but maybe Dad was asking already? as in so soon. Dad has a habit of answering questions with questions so sorry Dad if you didn’t mean yes.... that’ll teach ya..ha ha

The next day Kev, Rachael, Kame and I left Kirra for Byron Bay. After lunch at the famous Yatala Pies, we arrived at Byron and headed straight　for the lighthouse. After that Kevin and Rachael went to their accom and Kame and I found a lovely place to stay at Julians Apartments It was fantastic. we dropped of our stuff and headed into Byron to look at the shops, and walked back along the beach as the sun set back to..Julians
..After a few drinks and dressing up we decided to go back to our youth and head out clubbing, so armed with a mix of cc and lemonade we heading into town, grabbed a burger and hit the bars/clubs. at about 2am we decided to walk home to sober up. Kame proposed to me as we were having a rest on the beach. The moon was shining on the ocean like a spotlight, the waves were gently crashing, the sky was filled with stars and the air was cool and fresh.... it was perfect.
AND ABOUT BLOODY TIME I RECKON cos I aint getting any younger. Ha ha

The next day wasn’t so cool cos we had to drive from Byron to Caboolture for a 2oclock MRI appointment. But I only was seen at 6pm. But it was all covered by Medicare thank　god cos they still don’t know what wrong with my hand。 But that’s another story that I don’t wanna go into. the friday nite we had a party at my parents place...but thats the next blog..cya

Turtles are trying to work it out/かめチーム頑張ります！

2007-04-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

So we have worked out that we can do a Japanese and English version of our blog updates. so here is Kame to update the Japanese version

日本語で出来た！

Koalas are trying to figure it out/コアラチーム頑張ります！

2007-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

So... didnt have to wait too long.
Well as most of you know we recently got hitched. So we will try to update you on our lives from now on and also give you a bit of a history of how we got here. Plus lots of wedding details and photos ... we hope.
cya soon

最近僕らはついに結婚しました。　これを機に？ブログはじめました。

これから僕らの日常とか、これまでの経緯とか、写真とか・・etc

色々適当にアップしていこうと思います。

Here it begins/ 始まり

2007-04-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hey there.
We have decided to start a blog. just seems to be what people do these days. so...
Not sure how we will go, but wait and see. I just hope you get to do more seeing than waiting.
ok lets start with waiting...
till next time
SEE ya

皆さんこんにちは。　ついに僕らもブログなるものを始めることにしました。　今のところ何をどうすれば
良いのか今いちよくわからないんだけど、とりあえずスタートします。