Dar Es Salaam
Mood:  bright
Tuesday, July 27th flight from Dubai to DAR took about 7 hours. We had a 1-hour layover in Nairobi. I got some pretty cool aerial photos of Kilimanjaro. The land is spectacular from the air. The red soil and muddy, winding rivers look like a painting from the sky. DAR is incredible with people everywhere. My driver was waiting for me at the airport at 3pm local time. He speaks no English and didn?t understand that I wanted to pick up my bicycle at SkyCargo before heading into town. Also, the airport wouldn?t cash my Japanese VISA traveler?s checks so I had no Tanzanian currency to pay him. Rats. We drove all the way into town to meet with the hotel manager to translate for this driver. Communication can be such a problema. Since the banks close at 4pm we tried two different cash machines before my Magic VISA Credit Card enticed the machine to spit out some schillings. Yippee. Then we headed back out to the airport only to discover that we were too late to pick up my bicycle. ?Please come back at 10am tomorrow.? $10 taxi fare one-way to the airport cost me $25 (I got a discount for going out and back twice!) and still I didn?t get my bike. Patience is a virtue.

My hotel ($8.00/night) is minimal but ok: worn sheets and pillow, ceiling fan, no air conditioning, no toilet paper, hot shower. The cupboard in my room has a latch for a padlock. ?Warning: management not responsible for anything stolen from this room. Valuables should be locked in the office.? I used my bike lock to lock up everything while I was out of the room. There are three computers in the lobby and for 300 schillings I called home through a modem phone and left a message for my folks. Internet is 500 schillings/ 1/2 hour. 1100 schillings/US dollar. There are many tourists here. I met some girls from the UK last night at dinner. Dinner at the Jambo Inn just around the corner was $4.50. Warning at the restaurant says to make sure you keep track of food prices and don?t pay until you are served.

DAR is flat, dirt streets. Guys are selling things through car windows when stopped at traffic lights. The street leading to my hotel is ?auto row? and there are swarms of guys working on broken down cars. I have to go through a gauntlet of men to pass through the red gate with an armed guard at night and down a dirt dead-end alley to get to the entrance to the Safari Inn. Women in colorful African fabrics with baskets on their heads are everywhere. Huge papaya and pineapples tempt me on the streets. It?s warm in the taxi and car fumes are bad but there?s a cool breeze when we are moving. The 4th floor hotel room is not so warm when the fan is on. I?m a bit stressed with the shock of it all but doing well.

Dubai again
Mood:  on fire
Wow, silks from India and spices from Iran, Iraq and who knows where. The gold,textile, and spice souks (markets) were like something out of a movie. I felt like i was in an "Indiana Jones" scene. The temperature topped 43 degrees Centigrade today. Shops are closed from 1-4pm and i can definitely see why. I was walking back to the hotel at 1pm and just about melted my shoes getting back.

The Sunday evening cruise on Dubai Creek was so very romantic last night. Air conditioned wooden dhow (about 30-40 tourists on board). The buffet dinner was delicious with curries from India as well as lots of local dishes. I sat next to two guys from India on a holiday break from university studies. B-Com (bachelors in Commerce) seems to be a common college degree. Another sweet older couple originally from India but living in London also were close by my table. The night cools off just a bit here. Out on the top deck is lovely for awhile and the photo opportunities are great. I have to retreat back to the air conditioning after about 1/2 an hour. The creek is studded with dhows of all sizes strung with little yellow lights. The city lights outlining the many skyscrapers of outlandish architectural design are capped off by a sliver of a silvery moon. The belly dancer is not the best, but she gets quite a group up gyrating happily at the end of the cruise.

Ok, so here's a funny story on my first part of this trip. I was so tired after boarding the plane from Osaka that my first trip to the bathroom i just grabbed a paper cup next to the sink and downed 3 cups of water before heading back to my seat. On the second trip to the toilet after a dinner and a snooze i again reached for a paper cup and went to fill it from the faucet when - much to my surprise - i read the big red sign next to the faucet that had a bar thru the picture of a cup with a written warning that this water is NOT fit to drink. GOOD GRIEF, SO WHY DO THEY SUPPLY THE PAPER CUPS THEN!!!! My nerves were a bit on edge wondering whether i was going to come down with an extreme case of my favorite - diarrhea. Luckily a day later, all is well. whew.

Buy, buy, buy, Dubai should be this town?s mantra. Shopping seems to be the favored form of entertainment. Last night?s cruise cost 200 dirhams. Tonight?s dinner at a local vegetarian south Indian restaurant is 12 dirhams. (3.67 dirhams/US dollar) This is definitely a Muslim town with 5 times-a-day broadcast prayers over loudspeakers everywhere. Pretty liberal and most women walk around with no head coverings.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Now Playing: When you're hot - you're hot
Well, i'm off on my big Africa adventure.

Boy, it's difficult to not bow and say "sumimasen" when trying to get someone's attention here. i have slipped with an "arigato" or two since i've been here. It makes me giggle when i get a surprised look from someone.

So, wow, i'm in Dubai. Woo, i'm in an internet cafe! oh, my gosh. Can you believe it?

I flew out of KIX, Osaka International Airport, on Sat. July 24th at 7pm. There were a few glitches getting here, but nothing that i couldn't handle with a charge card. I couldn't read my Japanese plane ticket and didn't realize that the total weight limit for BOTH BAGS was 20 kg. Well, with even a light-weight bike that is impossible. It was going to cost me an extra $1,000 to get the bike on the plane. Good grief. I managed to take all the tools, pedals, and other heavy objects out of those damn bags and stash them in my carry-on luggage and still walk straight. The wonderful lady at the ticket counter totally ignored the fact that now i was way overweight for the carry-on baggage. After weighing the suitcases three times, i got the total down to 31 kg. She must have felt really sorry for me because she charged me for only 5 kg. over - $240 - what a deal, eh?

I am staying in Dubai for two days and then will have the same problem getting my bike on the plane again so I had the presence of mind at 4am local time after a 9.5 hour plane ride to ask at the airport in Dubai if i could send my bike on to Dar es Salaam without having to pay this exorbitant rate again. They sent me over to cargo and i sent the bike on for a measly $150. Hopefully it will be waiting at the airport in DAR for me when i arrive on Tuesday. I HOPE.

Dubai is incredible and here are some facts about UAE:
"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a union of seven sovereign sheikhdoms, formed when the British withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971. It boasts mountains, beaches, deserts, oases, camel racing, Bedouin markets and the legendary duty-free shopping of Dubai, all packed into a relatively small area." Lonely Planet Guide
To look at a map of where Dubai is: CLICK HERE


It is a true desert. Until recently it hadn't rained here for 25 years. The swimming pool on the roof top of my hotel is so hot i couldn't stick my hand in it for more than a second! I think it was about 107 degrees today. Not bad considering that it isn't nearly as humid as Japan. You just want to stick to the shade and avoid standing in the direct sun for too long. I went on a guided tour of the city and went to the Dubai Museum. Tonight i'll do a cruise on the river after sunset and watch the lights of the town.

Construction is everywhere. The biggest airport is being built as well as the soon-to-be-the-tallest-building in the world. They are advertising "Palm Village" which is a series of islets connected to look like a palm tree when viewed from space. Good grief.

So that's about it for now.

This internet cafe is a block from my hotel and, by the way, my hotel rooms are larger than my apartment in Japan. If my luck continues and i find more internet cafes, i'll keep you updated.

peace and love


Photos now up on my Tanzania Website

Power Bars
Mood:  vegas lucky
Masa and Didik came through for me again. Masa found 5 hiking stores to explore in Kobe yesterday. I found Power Bars! yahoo. I really wanted something compact and lightweight to take on the Kilimanjaro climb. Power Bars may not be the best tasting, but they have proven to give me an extra boost when i need it when hiking or biking in the past. Also, I found a really nice backpack for just $40! I can't believe my luck. I had a 15-year old day pack that was very inadequate, but i didn't think that i could afford to replace it here. Now i will climb Kili with two water bottle holders on the outside of the pack. A mesh screen to keep my back from getting so sweaty and a hip belt to take the load of my shoulders. yippeee, hooray.

I also found a pair of gaiters that go around my boots to keep the rocks out. On Fuji-san i discovered that lava rock is very light and has a way of finding its way into your boots. What a hassle to continually have to take your boots off and shake out the irritating rocks.

Also i am very fortunate that Jackie in the states has ordered me a waterbottle/purification system. She will bring it with her to Africa for me. I'm still trying to find some water purification tablets but no luck yet. I will go to the doctor today and see if he can prescribe me some. We hear that even the bottled water in Tanzania might not be safe. I've never had trouble with water before. Even in Zimbabwe, if we found a bore hole well, it was very safe to drink. We are taking extra precautions because there are some nasty bacteria and viruses in the water there.

After spending a bit o' my money in Kobe it was a pleasant surprise to walk down to the Port and discover the Port Festival in full swing. Listening to live music, watching very talented Japanese belly dancers, and sitting in the shade trying to stay a bit cool and feasting on watermelon and pineapple is quite the way to end a shopping spree.

Love and Happiness
Mood:  hug me
"We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it." George Bernard Shaw.

"Shopping for things we do not need, even if it is only window shopping, wastes a lot of vitality; energy flows out with every little desire. It is a surprising connection, but an extravagant shopper will find it difficult to love. He or she scatters love like largesse all over the department store. We can become bankrupt in love this way.....
So if you want a good, stiff test of your capacity to love, go into your favorite store some day - preferably when there is a sale - and see if you can walk straight through, looking neither left nor right, and come out unscathed. It may sound unbelievable, but it can be done!" Sri Eknath Easwaran

Paul, Karen & Hongwanji
Mood:  on fire
Thursday, July 15th

Paul and Karen are friends from the Spokane Buddhist Temple. They flew into Tokyo and then took the shinkansen to Kyoto. They will be here for just a few short days and then off to Beijing and India. I met them at their hotel in Kyoto on Wed. evening and spent the night with them. Then we attended services at the Hongwanji at 6am this morning. The Nishi Hongwanji is a World Heritage Site. It was a pleasure accompanying Karen and Paul on a great English guided tour of this compound.Tabitha, who works at the Hongwanji and is a college student here in Kyoto, gave us the tour. She used to live in WA and her Dad was the Buddhist minister in White River sometime ago. Now he is a minister in Hawaii. The site includes many museum quality buildings housing ancient wall and ceiling paintings, a traditional Japanese dry landscaped garden, a floating pavilion, 2 outdoor Noh stages, not to mention the place of worship - the Amidha Buddha Hall. The big Founder's Hall is under construction and won't be completed until 2008.

After the tour with Tabitha's help, we went shopping for some ojuzu and a kesa for Paul. The shop, next to the Hongwanji's International Center, served us tea and cookies after Paul had finished shopping. While his purchases were being wrapped we were invited to go upstairs and visit the costume museum. This museum included a series of miniature scenes from the Tale of Genji, a very famous traditional Japanese saga. There were meticulously dressed dolls in dioramas of specific scenes from this drama. Wow, gorgeous.

After shopping and a really nice vegetarian lunch back at the train station we decided to hop on the subway and experience part of yoiyoiyama (the eve of the eve of Gion Matsuri). This is one of the 3 biggest Festivals in all of Japan and one of the longest in duration. It runs for practically the whole month of July.

It was probably 90 degrees and a bit humid. The floats are scattered in the streets for blocks and blocks. There are 32 floats all together and they are ancient. Connecting the floats are uncountable street vendors selling all sorts of taste sensations from takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (cabbage and egg omelet with ????) to ichigo and ringo ame (strawberry and apples on a stick dipped in syrup that dries hard like our candy apples). Fans and parasols are everywhere to fight off the heat and glare of the sun. It's almost too bright to take good photos during the heat of the day but the crowds are small so far.

Gion Matsuri actually started under very oppressive circumstances in 869 when a plague raged through Kyoto. A priest of the Yasaka (or Gion) shrine led a procession of people through Kyoto in an attempt to appease the Shinto gods. The plague soon ended but this event became a popular festival with large floats (Hoko & Yama - rolled and carried) now being paraded through Kyoto.

The floats, some of which weigh over 10 tons, are very elaborate and many are decorated with Dutch and Turkish tapestries from the 15th century.
Each of the large Hoko floats carries musicians and truly looks a couple of centuries out of place as it is pulled through the streets. The Hoko floats are so big that they must be pulled by a large team of attendants.

I may try to attend next year on the day of the parade but after experiencing the crowds two days before this event I can see why there are many warnings to stay away. It is so hot and with over 200,000 attending it could be miserable!

Paul and Karen were drooping. I can't imagine why. They had done a tour in Tokyo and on Wed. had done a tour of Kyoto in the morning and then taken a 1.5 hour bus ride one-way to Nara and toured there in the afternoon. Good grief. So i put them on the subway and headed them back to their hotel for a much needed nap. I stayed for an extra hour or so and took some more pictures and pigged out on fresh iced pineapple on a stick. Barbequed chicken on a stick and bought some french fried sweet potatoes for Paul and Karen. During this time by myself i discovered some of the homes that are open to the public. Families are displaying their treasures for everyone to see. I was able to see some centuries-old painted folding screens, tapestries and hand woven silk fabrics, and also glimpse a little of the insides of a traditional old-style Japanese home with enclosed gardens and all! Lucky me.

Through the wonders of this cursed cell phone i was able to contact Connie and David headed to Kyoto from Osaka. I met them in the train station and headed over to pick up my overnight bag and introduce them to Paul and Karen. Since they were leaving for Beijing early the next morning they declined our invitation to visit the Matsuri this evening. David, Connie and i stashed our non-essentials in a locker at the train station and caught a subway for the festivities again. We arrived on the streets of Shijodori (5th Street) around 5:30pm Crowds were spilling into the streets. By 6pm streets were roped off and quickly filled with people in summer yukata and the intensity of the mood heightened. Hawkers selling chimaki (bamboo wrapped shrine amulets) got to me and now i have one hanging over my door which will keep me healthy till next Matsuri. The sounds of the repetitious matsuri music (percussion and high-pitched flutes and/or whistles are everywhere - in the stores, malls and stations. To tell you the truth it can really grate on your nerves, but here in the crowd with all the colors and excitement it fills the air with festive energy.

We are carried through the streets snacking and drinking as much water as possible to stay hydrated. I wait till we are leaving to sample a heavenly amber ale made by a local brewery. It seems so strange to be standing on the street at 8pm with a beer in my hand asking a policeman for directions to the subway! hah. So back we go to head home - foot sore and tired but with a buzz of happiness at having been able to experience such an evening.
And they lived happily ever after. amen

The Golden Chain
Mood:  bright
I am a link in the Buddha's golden chain of love that stretches around the world. I must keep my link bright and strong.

I will try to be kind and gentle to every living thing, and protect all who are weaker than myself.

I will try to think pure and beautiful thoughts, to say pure and beautiful words, and to do pure and beautiful deeds, knowing that on what I do now depends my happiness and misery.

May every link in the Buddha's golden chain of love become bright and strong, and may we all attain Perfect Peace.

Love one Another
Mood:  amorous
"Two people who are really in love do not close their eyes to each other's weaknesses. They support each other in overcoming those weaknesses, so that each helps the other to grow." Sri Eknath Easwaran.

"Hey, people now, smile on each other. Everybody get together. Try to love one another RIGHT NOW." Jefferson Airplane.

Fuji-san
Mood:  celebratory
LOST before i get to Fuji-san

Ok, so it was a simple mistake. Leaving at 6am on Saturday i rode my bike to the JR station. Then i hopped on a train bound for Osaka. It was an easy walk to the tour bus area from the train station. I confidently walked up to a table and a lady found my name on a list...so far...so good. Oh, by the way, it's pouring rain and there is roaring thunder and lightning. That makes for some confidence-building on the day i am about to climb Mt. Fuji. She directs me to stand under an awning - out of the rain - with a number of Japanese tourists in "Group A". This woman takes my tickets and leaves which makes me a bit uneasy but what the heck. At 7:20am when we are supposed to board the bus a driver starts rattling off in very fast Japanese. I hear the word Fuji and half the people under the "A" awning head for the bus. I ask the others still standing there if that's where i should go, and they all enthusiastically send me off. As i board the bus i cautiously ask "Fuji-san?" "Hai" - which means "yes" and so i board the bus. I am a little nervous and confused since the other two befuddled Americans on this bus still have their tickets and i don't see the lady who took mine anywhere. What the heck. As we start down the road and head for the highway, a guide walks down the aisle asking for tickets. I tell him that i've already given mine to a lady (of course he probably can't understand a word i'm saying.) After studying my paper receipt, that i so luckily saved, the bus stops on the side of the road and the driver is on the phone. Uh, oh. So after quite a few tense minutes, the guide returns my paperwork to me and politely tells me that i've boarded the wrong bus and that the other bus is on it's way to Fuji. My heart just stops! He gets on the phone again... So will they just throw me off the bus and there goes $150 for the tour? Will they just let me stay with this group? It sure would be nice to be with two other English speakers... More tense moments as he talks on the phone again. Everyone on the bus is probably thinking - stupid American! Actually, i don't even think they noticed. ha ha. Then the guide comes back to me again. I can't help thinking that if the tables were turned and i was in America and a non-English speaker if i would have been treated so politely. Maybe. He has made an arrangement to meet the other bus at a place down the road and we'll do a switch-a-roo there. whew.
In Kyoto the apologetic woman who took my tickets in the first place meets me and guides me to the correct bus. Because others from Kyoto are boarding as well no one has to know that i made a mistake. To my amazement a young man boards the bus and takes his assigned seat across the aisle from me. Turns out he's a high school student from Poland doing a home-stay for a year here in Kyoto. He speaks Polish and English and now is fluent in Japanese. Amazing and lucky for me because he translates most of the important information to me as we are travelling. I don't know what i would have done without him.

Fuji-san
Due to very strong winds we didn't make it to the summit. We made it PAST Station 8 (we began the climb at Station 5 and the last station is 9) Fuji-san is 12,388 feet and we ended at the Fuji Hotel at 10,500. I am a bit disappointed because i really wanted to see if the altitude would affect me. Instead, because of the winds that blew all the clouds away we got some incredible views. "Ya can't always get what ya want."

I had been told that Fuji was littered and ugly. Well, maybe it was in the past, but i thought it was beautiful. The rain poured and poured and the thunder continued most all Saturday from the time we left Osaka till almost 5pm when we arrived at Station 5. I must have an angel on my shoulder because when we got off the bus, the rain became a shower and then turned to a cool comfortable mist.

The bus was comfy and we slept most of the way. Frequent stops for bathroom breaks were much appreciated. We had a light traditional Japanese dinner at 5:30pm, changed clothes and packed our packs, filled our water bottles, and stashed stuff in the bus to be left behind before we headed out around 6:30pm on our hiking adventure. Everyone else is in small groups of family/friends. I am the only solo climber which is a bit awkward and the language barrier makes it even harder, but i try to remain positive and as friendly as i can be in my broken Japanese. Antony, the Polish student, is very good about filling me in on important details along the way, but he is also very busy flirting with all the pretty girls who are crazy about him. He has such a bubbly personality. What a joy he is. It's a comfortable temperature so i start out in shorts and short sleeve shirt. High tech fabrics are so wonderful. Even in the mist my clothes stay fairly dry (evaporation thru body heat - magic) At this altitude there is lush vegetation. Azaleas are still blooming under a canopy of hemlock and other trees that i can't identify. Bird sounds are so welcome here. I don't know bird names but their songs remind me of melodies that you would hear from a music box. I miss bird song. Fuji-san is a dormant cinder-cone volcano. The paths are mostly all made of crushed lava rock. This surface is not so hard on your feet as solid rock and doesn't get muddy in the rain but on the downside it is like walking in sand. Going down hill the following day was especially difficult. The forest quickly gives way to lava rock formations with a scattering of granite boulders. Yes, it looks rather stark but it's a volcano! Because the clouds have drifted off we can see the path zigzagging up and up. There is a red tori (Japanese gate) at the top of the green belt which indicates Station 7. It looks so far away but that's where we will spend the night.

In three hours of easy hiking with plenty of breaks along the way to take pictures and check out the views and acclimate we make it to our night's desination. We have been given a small obento earlier on and told to put it in our packs. I thought that we would eat this when we arrived but i was informed that we eat it when we get up at midnight. I am disappointed because i am starved. A peak in the box reveals white rice wrapped in seaweed and some pickles - oh, my gosh, that's all we get to climb on! Luckily i have packed a banana and carefully stash it away for a bit of energy as a midnight snack.

Now the fun part. We are lined up and guided to our bedroom. How do i explain this? The room consists of two giant bunkbeds (one on each side of the room) that run the full length of the room. So picture a large shelf that is more than body length wide running down the sides of the room with a narrow walkway between the two shelves. We either sleep on the floor under the shelf or on the shelf.

One by one we take our packs which are stashed at the foot of the bed or alternately hung on a nail on the wall and we lay down head to the wall, next, feet to the wall, next, head to the wall, next, feet to the wall.... Ok, picture a can of sardines. Got it?

Then we are covered with a heavy futon that covers about three of us at once. Nighty, night, it's 10:30pm, sweet dreams, see ya at midnight!

It doesn't seem like i slept much. Lots of excited conversations going on and others climbing in bed over the next hour or so. I'm guessing that they can easily fit over 100 people in this room if they had to . The wind is howling outside. We are gently aroused with a bell and dim lights turned on. After much discussion in Japanese a vote is taken. Of course, i haven't understood a word that was said. Antony is nowhere near me so the others around me try in their limited English to explain that the wind was so strong at midnight that they decided to let us sleep till 1:30am. Now we have to decide to go on as far as we can get in windy and cold (41 degrees) conditions or go back to sleep and head back down in the morning. About half of us decide to go for it. Guess what my decision was.

I have a slight headache but i'm pretty sure it's from lack of food and a bit of dehydration. I gobble the banana in hopes that it will give me enough energy for the climb. We are hiking by 2am and arrive around Station 8 as the sun comes up (about 5am). Oh, my gosh, what a view. Everyone is in such a great mood. We do the "Bonzai" cheer a number of times and sing the Hanshin Tigers baseball team theme song enthusiastically and with feeling.

The wind and cold are not bad at all. We have all had to strip off layers of clothing while we hike. It's a scramble in the dark over rocks and stone steps. I am very glad that i had Nola bring me a headlamp from REI. It would have been dangerous climbing without it. We climb on a bit higher after sunrise and reach the Fuji Hotel (not much more than the place we stayed). This is where we eat our breakfast of white rice and seaweed. Luckily the Fuji Hotel has some hot udon which I down in one gulp. I wish i would have brought some food.

The hike back down is the toughest. It's steep switchbacks that are all crushed lava rock. If it was a little finer texture you could almost get your boots set right and slide down it - like surfing. But unfortunately i couldn't surf it so i resorted to a technique of digging in my heels and leaning on my staff to keep my balance when my feet slipped out from under me. What a thigh burner! The walking stick, made of a very light wood, is purchased at the beginning of the climb. Tradition is that you pay 200 yen (about $2) at each check point to get a unique stamp burned into your staff. It's quite cool to have different designs and altitude marks growing on your hiking stick as you climb. So for $8 and 12 stamps later I have a $32 piece of wood now. Everything is expensive but rightfully so. I'm not sure how they pack things up to this place but it looks like it might be by horseback. It's a suggested 100 yen each time you use the bathroom but there are generators running to dry out the wastes and i'm sure that isn't cheap. I really enjoyed the climb. No real aches and pains. My headache didn't go away until we were back on the bus and made a stop where i could get some food and water in me so i don't think that it was altitude related. phew.

The bus ride back was as pleasant as they could make it, but it was difficult to be on the bus much, much longer than the climb. We first drove to a traditional Japanese bath house. There was time to shower, soak in the spa and get an ice cream. Then back on the bus. Next we drove to a restaurant where we had another traditional Japanese meal. Boy, was i sick of white rice. I usually do pretty well with Japanese food but after this much excercise white rice just doesn't do it for me. We made another stop to buy omiyagi (presents). It is traditional when on a trip to buy presents - usually food - for your family, kids, friends and coworkers. It can get rather expensive. I try always to bring something back for the teaching and office staff at my school.

To summarize:
Cost: 16,800 yen
Saturday
Bus travel to Fuji: 10 hours
Hike for 3 hours
Sleep for 3 hours
Sunday beginning at 2am..
Hike for about 3 hours to the Station 8
Hike back down to Station 5 - about 5 hours
Bus back to Osaka: 10 hours including some stops.
Ah, and back to work on Monday! whew.

And a great time was had by all.
PHOTOS SOON TO COME

Yellow Fever Inoculation Story
Mood:  celebratory
So in December when i was in CA i tried to get all the recommended shots for the upcoming Africa trip. Yellow Fever was not on my list for some reason, and so it was very disappointing a few months ago to discover that i should probably get vaccinated against this disease as well. Ok, i'll start early. How difficult can it be? I called and found out that there was a clinic in Osaka that had info on the shot. I called 3 times on three different days and used the best Japanese i could muster but with no luck at making an appointment. I did understand that the shot is only given in two locations on two different weekdays only at 1:30pm. Now, that's real convenient for working folks like me! I finally asked one of the Kobu teachers to call for me. After two attempts on her part (she was getting nowhere) she called the International Center in Nishinomiya for their help. If it hadn't been for their patience and persistence, i would have just given up and maybe contracted and died of Yellow Fever! Ha ha.

So here's the deal. First you have to have an application faxed to you which you have to fill out. I think it's impossible to fill it in correctly the first time so expect that you are going to have to fill it in and fax it at least twice (which i did). Then you have to call a week before you want the shot to make an appointment (not one day earlier). Even though you make the appointment you still have to go in as early as possible to sign up because they take people in numerical order. The serum is mixed at 1:30pm and if it isn't used within an hour it's no good. In that case, go home and start all over again. Arghhhh.

When I was faxed the application, a 2-page information sheet was sent along also.
Here are just a few sample sentences that were so graciously translated into English for me:

"It is receptionist start at 1:30pm every Tuesday. After receptionist end, I inoculate it into number order (when Tuesday becomes a holiday but, the week does not do an inoculation)." GOT THAT?

Here's my favorite:
"Attention matter: chicken egg, chicken, a person of gelatine allergy, babies and young children for and after birth less than 9 months of the pregnancy inside are inoculation taboo mourning." SAY WHAT???

It would be funny except that there were serious health issues involved in this and my anxiety level kept increasing.

The good news is that Connie (downstairs) accompanied me for some much needed moral support. We got to the clinic very early and were the first ones in line. Of course, even though i'd faxed my application in twice already, i still had to fill out the same application again at the clinic - go figure. The doctor and receptionist spoke very good English so i was able to clarify some of my questions about when this vaccine actually becomes effective (yes, before i get to Africa!). All's well and now i don't have to worry about Yellow Fever.

Another exercise taking me closer to Buddhahood don't ya think?