Off to Osaka

It was nearly Christmas.  The year was coming to an end and Veronica and I both had some unused leave.  We didn't want to waste it so we quickly booked a trip.  Searching online for reasonably priced flights and hotels, we found an unexpected location.  Osaka.

Our trip earlier in the year to Bangkok had been decided not only by our desire to go to Thailand, but also as much by the outrageous cost of flights to Japan.  To see the flight prices now at a fraction of what they had previously been at was all the motivation we needed to immediately book.

  

Being back in a plane so soon after our last trip was a great privilege, with Veronica and myself both enjoying our travel.  But the added benefit was also seeing the development of baby Pickle.  We were watching him grow and develop, day by day, but each time we were on a plane with him again it was a sudden and stark reminder of how much he was changing.  The bassinet seemed like it was getting smaller and smaller each time, and on this trip it did little to keep him contained.  Instead he was far happier sitting up whilst he tried to escape.

We arrived early evening and caught the train into the city.  Once we arrived, I suddenly had an urgent work call.  I took care of our luggage whilst putting in the earbuds to take the call.  Veronica took charge of baby Pickle in the stroller and we slowly walked towards the hotel whilst I spoke.  It was a strange experience to concentrate on the call whilst being bombarded by the sensory overload that is a bustling Japanese metropolis.  The streets were crowded, the lights were bright and the air was cold.  I somehow had to block it all out and concentrate on the call, all whilst still remaining aware enough to not accidentally walk into traffic. 

The hotel wasn't too far from the train station.  We checked in, put our luggage down and stepped back out into the night to find some food.  Most places were busy, but our first few enquiries of emptier places seemed to be met with a quick rejection once they saw the stroller.  I didn't think too much of this, but it would become more of an issue as time went by.  We walked past an izakaya that seemed a bit friendlier.  The young man out front looked at us for a moment and then quickly ushered us into the back where there was a convenient little corner table set up behind the bar.  Baby Pickle enjoyed his time here as he crawled around, and tried to grab at each piece of food that was brought to us.  He would have to settle for the small pieces of vegetables and not the grilled meats.

 

By the time we left, it was getting late and Pickle was now asleep.  He was well rugged up, so we went for a walk around the city.  The centre of Osaka didn't feel very big, but it was an intensely busy place.  Even though it was late in the evening, there were still crowds of people everywhere and the lights of the city still shone and flashed.

Veronica couldn't resist the urge any longer and took us straight to one of the claw machine shops.  Her excitement could barely be contained as she started to play the games.  The noise and lights of the stores were all too much for me though.  It had been a long day and standing inside with the overwhelmingly bright lights and sounds were the last thing I wanted.  I decided to go for a walk with the sleeping Pickle as Veronica continued to play.

Waterfalls, rice paddies and coffee

Our time at the villa had come to an end.  Instead of leaving back home immediately, I had arranged for us to go somewhere else for a few more nights.  We had the leave and the flight from Hong Kong wasn't that short, so it seemed like a better use of time to stay a bit longer.  I arranged for a van to pick us up and to take us to our next location.  It was a long drive, so it seemed convenient to do some stopovers on the way.  Our first stop was the Tegenungan waterfall.  It was relatively short drive without too much traffic.  One of the great benefits of this part of Bali was that was far from the intense Uluwatu to Seminyak region that was full of crowds and jams.  Everything over here was far more relaxed and calm.  Arriving at the waterfalls, we quickly found a nice vantage point for some pictures before we started the hike down to the water at the bottom.  It was a well paved and scenic walk, though I wasn't looking forward to the hike back up after.

 

The hike down was a bit unexpected.  Rather than walking through hidden and untouched jungle, this seemed to be quite a built up area.  The jungle vibe had been well maintained, but reaching the bottom we found hotels on both sides of the water as well as several stalls selling snacks.  The hotels were beautiful and built into the surrounding nature, but it was still a bit surprising.  Down at the water level, the temperature also dropped.  It was cool and comfortable, and when the breeze blew the water spray at us, it almost felt a bit too cold.

 

The excitement and the walk down to the waterfall was clearly tiring for baby Pickle and he fell asleep in Veronica's arms as we walked around near the water.  I took over from her and cradled him in my arms as I carried him back up the stairs.  The walk and jolts did nothing to wake and he slept soundly as we got back in the car to head to our next destination.

We asked our driver if he could recommend any nice places for lunch.  He didn't disappoint and took us to a nicely renovated restaurant overlooking some rice paddies.  It was a modern restaurant that catered to the tourist crowd, but it was a peaceful and comfortable place for a lunch.  As we ate, baby Pickle seemed happy to sit in the highchair looking out at all of the new and interesting sights.

After lunch, the driver took us to a coffee plantation.  This is one of those locations that screams "tourist trap".  Tour groups are brought in, the drivers get paid, then the hard sell is made to the tourists to buy whatever it is they're selling.  I remembered back to when I was young and the shock of my parents with us being dragged from shopping location to shopping location, full of stuff we didn't want and full of touts pushing their wares on us.  None of that was an issued here and e were fully aware of what we were getting ourselves into.  It was a tourist location, but there were still things to see and coffee for baby Pickle to grab at.

   

After walking through the grounds of the coffee plantation, we were taken for a coffee tasting.  There was nothing exceptional on offer, but it was still all new to us so it was nice to try to different flavours on offer.  Some were nice, others less so....

Baby Pickle seemed to be enjoying everything.  All the new sensations, the colours, the things to touch.  It seemed to engage him and he seemed amazed by it every part of it.

Relaxing in Bali

Life in the villa was good.

Maybe a little bit too good.

It was fancy living, with all of our needs catered for by the professional and friendly staff.  This wasn't my first trip to Bali, but it was the first time I had experienced this type of villa living.  The previous trips had usually been in hotels near to the wedding locations.  Those hotels were all lovely, I had enjoyed the stays immensely.  Yet this was something a little bit different.

Staying in these villas was comparably priced to staying at the big hotels, but they came with an additional privacy and enjoyment that you didn't seem to get at a hotel.  It was a very nice way to spend a few days.  With Lico and Chris, and the babies both being well looked after, we were able to all properly enjoy our time off.  

As we were all staying a little bit further away from the main busy areas of Bali, we also had the benefit of much more space.  We even had direct beach access, which seemed to be a level of luxury beyond what we could have imagined.

We took our meals together, all prepared with care and skill by the villa staff.  We were able to spend our time together lounging by the pool, wandering the grounds of the villa or playing with the kids on the grass and in the shade.  Each day, Veronica and Lico had massage therapists come to the villa to give them massages up in the private massage therapy area of the villa.  At the end of each session, the staff even set up the spa baths in each of our rooms so the girls could soak and relax after the massages.  Whilst the girls did this, Chris and I played with the kids, or when they napped we went and explored along the beach, admiring the long coastline and the impressive neighbouring villas.

This stay in the villa felt more "Bali" than any of the previous visits.  This was the Bali that seemed to capture the dreams and thinking of so many who visited.  It was a seductive way to live and to holiday.  It felt like a perfect blend of relaxation whilst still getting to enjoy the best of the island.  I wasn't sure when I would return to Bali (likely the next wedding whenever that may be), but this type of stay would be what I would want to experience again. 

Bali wedding once more

It was another Bali wedding.  You would think I would be getting tired of them, but that wasn't the case at all.  Every wedding had enjoyed a beach and tropical vibe, so there were certain things that didn't change.  That didn't seem to make any of them less enjoyable.  They were always a happy occasion, with everyone in a good mood, with the holiday vibe adding to all round good spirits.

 

This wedding had one extra special element compared to the previous Bali weddings I had attended.  This one was full of children.  There had been kids at all of the previous weddings, but nothing like this.  There were babies, infants, small kids, bigger kids all running around as the wedding was about to start.  Ryan and Jess were well aware of the crowd, and had even arranged a large room at the back for all the kids to rest and relax.  It added an extra family feel to the entire festive mood.

The wedding was lovely and it was amazing to see Ryan and Jess so happy together.  A lot had changed for them since we were all together in Hong Kong.  We were all happy to see them after they had moved, so this wedding had been the perfect opportunity for a reunion.

After dinner, as the wedding continued into the night, those of us with kids arranged for the kids to be taken back to the villas.  Veronica took Pickle back to the villa to be looked after before she came back to join in the rest of the party.

Everyone was drinking and dance.  It was a great time, but I felt is harder than any previous wedding.  Life with a child is an energy consumer.  Even as other continued to enjoy the party, I could feel my strength waning.  We stayed just a little bit longer, before we decided it was time for us to go back to the villa to sleep.

Off on a tropical adventure

We were off again on another trip.  All our trips with the baby Pickle had been a success so far.  Many had looked at our trips with shock.  Others with admiration.  Maybe we had become overconfident and arrogant to travel so much?  I didn't really care so much.  For me, the difficulties had all been worth it and I felt it had given us time and opportunities to bond that were invaluable. 

Sitting in the lounge as we waited for our flight, Pickle was curious of everything around him.  I went and got glasses of champagne for myself and Veronica.  This piqued his interest immediately.  He looked at us intently as we drank and decided that surely it was time for us to share some of this with him.  

When we boarded the plane, he was already tired.  Once we took off, the flight attendants promptly set up the bassinet and I was able to carefully place him in to sleep without any disruption.  I lay my head down as well, trying to rest.  This didn't last long though as the baby Pickle woke after only a relatively short nap. 

Refreshed and reenergised, he decided that now was the time to start exploring.  He couldn't really walk yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't crawl or climb around.  With this skill, he decided that what he really wanted to do was to say hello to pretty Japanese girls seated in the row behind us.  He scraped and crawled over me, stepping on my shoulder and face to get his head above the row of seats.  Perched up high, he smiled and laughed as the girls cooed at him and exclaimed "kawai", all the while encouraging him further....

When we arrived at the airport in fairly good spirits.  Everyone was well rested enough and it wasn't too late. We expected there to be a long wait at immigration and customs, but instead we found almost no lines.  With baby Pickle in tow, we were also directed to the "short" line which meant we were able to get through even quicker.  Outside there was a car waiting for us.  A short drive later and we were at our villa for the next few days.

Baby Pickle soon found himself comfortably settled in one of the rooms as the staff immediately came to provide us with all the comforts we needed.  

All of the staff seemed to be incredibly happy and excited to see us with the baby.  A few hours before we had arrived, our friends Chris and Lico had also arrived with baby Luca.  It would be a nice few days together, with parents and children all able to enjoy the surrounds.

Cypriot wedding

The wedding was being held in the shade of a nearby church.  It was right next to the beach and walking distance for all the various hotels that everyone was staying at.

The day felt hot, so we wanted to ensure we were well shaded when we arrived.  Knowing my Swiss friends well, I was certain they would all be on time.  I arranged to walk down to the wedding with them.  As expected, they had all agreed on the time to meet at the hotel and when to start walking.  Veronica and I happily joined them and we walked down to the wedding together.  We arrived early enough to have our first choice of places to sit, well shaded and with the ideal view of the wedding.

As the sun slowly began to set, the wedding began.  The groom has set himself up down the path leading from the door to the church.  After a very traditional delay, Corinne appeared, looking radiant and lovely, walking down the aisle towards Stelios.  I was incredibly happy for her.  We had known each other for a long time now.  All the back to when I lived in Australia and she was studying there.  We had become good friends and had even visited each other over the years on our various holidays.  I still remembered when she came to visit me in Hong Kong with Stelios as well.  I would never have imagined that I would now be at her wedding in Cyprus of all places.  I felt this strange sense of satisfaction and ease to see her happy with Stelios. 

Stelios and Corinne both looked great.  There were songs sung, vows exchanged and speeches made.  A lovely ceremony for everyone to witness.

  

After the wedding ceremony, we all made our way back to the large villa complex they had hired.  There on the grounds overlooking the water, the reception had been set up.  As the catering staff worked to get everything set up, all the guests enjoyed snacks and drinks. When we were seated at the tables, we were then given the most food I have ever seen at any wedding I have ever attended.  Every course was enormous, and the number of courses didn't seem to stop.  By the time it did finally stop, the tables were completely full of large plates.  Most people had long stopped eating, unable to handle anything extra.  

The bride and groom made their way around the tables.  Greeting everyone with smiles.  As the night continued, the drinks continued to flow and games were organised with all the guests. 

After more games and more speeches, the dancing began.  This was a Greek wedding, and no Greek wedding can truly be complete without the dancing.  I dragged Veronica with me to the dance floor so that we could join in, our tired feet reenergised by the music.

Cyprus with no baby

My good friend Corinne was getting married in Cyprus.  We were invited to her wedding, but with work commitments and the need to look after Pickle, it didn't seem possible.  Suddenly though, there was a change.  Projects that needed to be completed disappeared.  Reorganisations happened.  Jobs changed.  Suddenly a very busy time became quite free for the both of us.

We were out in a park with Pickle when I asked Veronica her thoughts on this very sudden idea.  Should we go?  Could we go?

It seemed incomprehensible only a few weeks earlier, but now it was all becoming something at least within the "realm of possibility".  I messaged Corinne to ask her if she was free to speak.  She was and took my call as we walked around the park.  I asked her whether it was too late to come, assuming we could get the logistics all worked out.  She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the call was about something more concerning.  She was delighted and hoped we could make it work.

So for the next few days, a flurry of activity occurred as we tried to make the necessary arrangements for a trip to Cyprus.  Flights weren't cheap and they weren't convenient, but we found something passably acceptable (only just).  Pickle would be cared for by his grandparents for a few days.  Annual leave was arranged.  The days passed us by, and soon enough we were at the airport waiting for our flight to depart.

It all felt extremely strange.

We hadn't been parents for very long, but it was an all encompassing experience.  To find ourselves suddenly separated from it all just didn't feel right.  I knew that Pickle was being well looked after, but it didn't remove my sense of concern or anxiety for him.  

After a short stop in Doha, we arrived in Larnaca in Cyprus.

We had arranged a hire car to make things easier.  The wedding location was the East of the island, so instead of immediately driving over we started to explore the local area around Larnaca first.  It was one of the bigger cities in Cyprus, but it was still relatively quiet out on the outskirts near the "famous" Salt Lake.  As we stood on the salted crust of the lake, I bunch of young guys pulled up in their car and started to walk out to look as we were.  They were clearly tourists as well and one of the guys asked me in a joking and sarcastic manner: "Is this place any good?  I don't think it is."  He was probably right....

After the initial stops closer to the airport, we moved into the city itself to eat and explore.  We went to a souvlaki restaurant that had been recommended by the manager at the car hire company.  "It looks touristy, but it's actually good" was what he had told us.  He wasn't wrong, and we had what would be one of the best meals of the entire trip.  The vegetables were fresh and full of flavour, the meat was smokey and nicely grilled.  It was simple food, but it was from the region and set us in the right mood.

We walked around Larnaca after lunch.

It didn't feel big at all and there was a nice relaxed feeling to the place.  The height of the tourist season was over, so things were now apparently much quieter than what they would otherwise be.  It meant that the stroll through the town was a calm experience without any jostling or crowds.  The first place we went to on our exploration of the town was the Church of Saint Lazarus.  This church and the salt lake seemed to be the two most famous attractions of this area. After our visit to the lake, I was more reserved in my expectations for the church.  From the outside, it was a relatively small and humble looking church.

On the inside, it was far more magnificent.

It was still a very small church, but it was adorned with gold.  At the back, there was a large wall of Orthodox church icons.  Saints, with their images brightly illustrated and surrounded with ornate gold decorations.  It was a beautiful and impressive sight. 

We kept walking around the rest of Larnaca.  There wasn't too much exciting to the place.  There was a beach and promenade area.  Shops, restaurants and cafes all along the front, as well as an old fort.  We walked through the fort, stood up at the top and took some pictures before we walked through the town back to the car.

We now needed to get to Protaras where the wedding was.  It was mid afternoon and we had plenty of time.  It was a quick drive.  Only 45 minutes along the highway and we were already at the hotel.  At this point, we needed to be careful and quiet.  A pre-wedding dinner had been arranged this evening before the wedding day.  Corinne knew we were coming, but we had decided to keep it a secret from all our other Swiss friends as a surprise.  I had to be careful coming and out of the hotel to ensure we wouldn't be caught early.  I knew my Swiss friends well though, they would all most certainly be on time.  So after checking in, we intentionally delayed leaving to ensure we would be 10 minutes late (unheard of for my Swiss friends).  Everything we amazingly well and we arrived at the restaurant to looks of happiness and shock.

Dinner was a bit of a blur.  Veronica and I were jetlagged, but the emotion of seeing my old friends swept me us as well.  The food came and went, but none of it really mattered to me.  We all chatted and laughed, years had gone by and it was a joy to be able to spend time together with them again as well as to be able to introduce them all to Veronica.  If it was only this evening, the travel had already been worth it.

Faster than expected

It felt like we had only just moved into our apartment, but we were already leaving.  I still remembered with clarity the excitement of getting the keys.  The agent walking out of the apartment and knowing that I was living in my own place.  Not a place that I was renting, but my very own place.  I had expected to have been here almost indefinitely (or at the very least for quite a long time), and instead after only a few years I was off again.   It had been a far shorter stay than I expected or planned.

As I stood in the apartment, everything being packed away by the removalists, I felt a strange feeling.  It wasn't the same as previous moves.  I remembered those moves.  In those moves I felt clearly the pang of leaving somewhere that was close and important to me, of leaving my home.

I didn't have the same feeling this time.

I had experienced a lot in this apartment and yet it didn't have the same feeling of home to me.  Was it because I had moved too much?  Or was it that I just hadn't been in this apartment for long enough?

Barceloneta

Our trip was coming to an end.  We had a flight to catch that night.  I was able to arrange for a late check out at the hotel, so we packed our things up as best we could and decided to enjoy the little time we had left.  Phil had enjoyed a big night, so he was nowhere to be found.  Whilst we waited for him, we went exploring the small streets and alleys around the old Gothic Quarter and El Born.  It was relatively early in the morning, so the crowds were only just starting to gather.

We walked past an old looking cafe and went in for breakfast.

The food in Barcelona had been good, but the small style cafes we had enjoyed visiting in Madrid didn't seem to be as good here.  Everything seemed so tourist oriented it was hard to work out what experiences were actually a slice of everyday life and what were just an inauthentic recreation for visitors.  Inside the cafe, everything was fine.  Nothing spectacular or memorable.  Just all fine.  

Later in the morning, with Phil finally awake, we went in search of somewhere for our last lunch of the trip.  Chatting with Phil about our previous visit, I remembered that we had never visited the beach.  Our trips to Barcelona had always been during cooler months, so the fact we hadn't been here was less of a surprise.  However, given the fame of Barcelona as a party town by the beach, it was still somewhere we thought would be worthwhile to visit now.

The part of Barcelona closest to the beach is called "Barceloneta".  It's quite an appropriate literal name for this place as it does feel like a small miniturised version of Barcelona next to the beach.  Within the built up parts of this neighbourhood, the streets were all aligned in a strict grid pattern. Off in the near distance was the ocean.  It was quite a surreal image to see the tight rows of houses, the regular patterns of the streets, and then suddenly all opening up towards the ocean and the sky.  It seemed to make all the buildings float.  I wondered whether this was part of the inspiration for so many of the famed Spanish surrealist artists or even for Chris Nolan.  Were they really such imaginative geniuses or were they merely blessed with inspiration staring them in the face?

 

It was a fantastic (and in some ways fantastical) place to visit.

It was easy to walk.  Everything was close by and there was a more laid back vibe to the place than in the other parts of Barcelona.

It was nearly lunch time, so we found a popular paella place that would take us in.  Once again, looking for a place to eat with the baby Pickle wasn't a problem at all.  The upstairs dining room was not an issue at all, as the staff hurried down to help us carry the stroller up.  There was never a complaint or any hint of annoyance with it.  It was always friendly and always a seemingly normal thing to do.

Baby Pickle was fast asleep.  He was well fed and comfortable.  The long walk had soothed him and so even the move upstairs hadn't been enough to wake him.

For us we were hungry.  We had been eating paella in various locations, but we had been most surprised by the "fideua", which seems best described as being a paella with the rice replaced by noodles.  Whereas the paella was something we could get overseas (albeit to greatly varying degrees of quality), the fideua was something far more special and unique to this part of the world.

Everything was washed down with big jugs of sangria.  All freshly made and full of fruit.  It wasn't particularly refined, but it all tasted great.  Everything was shared, and we pressed spoonfuls of the food onto one another's plates as we quickly and happily ate. 

I was sad to leave, but also keen to get home.  The trip had given me everything I could have hoped for with my new family.  With all the rush and excitement of a new born, in particular with the rush of people constantly around us, it felt at times like we weren't able to spend so much time together without interruption.  This trip was the break from all of that.  It was just us.  Just the three of us.  Our new family, exploring the world together.