Melbourne-1

Hello there,

Just quickly, a picture of Dennis and me, and a picture of us all having dinner at 'little creatures' in Melbourne. In the background you see Dennis and me and from left to right: Mat, Merrin and Emily. Excuse me for looking tired- but I was.

I got a phone here in Australia, so might you miss me, you can give me a call (but I might be busy or sleeping if I dont pick up...).

+61 450 644 720

I am passing my days here just wandering around Melbourne and spending time in the university architecture library; planning my trip a bit and trying to figure out a way to best travel is continent-sized country.

Talk to you soon again.

Bas.

Moving On

After Tokyo where I spent the last couple of days checking more contemporary architecture and spending good times with sweet Marieke (picture above) I have taken a flight to New Zealand. I landed in Auckland early in the morning, and a very nice guy that I met in the plane, gave me a ride to the centre of Auckland (after having arranged a hotel at the airport because my flight to Melbourne was leaving quite early the next morning). There he drove me around in his car to see some of the centre and give a me a sort of little tour. I will be back there in a couple of months so this little preview turned out really nice. We had a great breakfast/lunch somewhere and then I took of into the city centre.

It was dark and rainy (yes, on this side of the world, at these lattitudes, it is actually winter time people). And Auckland doesnt seem to be a very pretty city (although the bad wheather must have emphasized that). The impression that I got from it was also that it is a rather quiet city. But there were many interesting things (nice bars and restaurants, some interesting older and newer buildings, and tons of amazing postcards of the surroundings) that kind of make me look forward to travelling that amazing country. There are only 4 million people living in this huge country, of which 1 million live in Auckland and about another million live in Wellington+Christchurch. So... it must be really really empty out there in the wild.

I had great (amazing) dinner in a nice small pub there, amazing seafood, maybe even fresher then the Japanese seafood...

The next morning I hopped on a plane to Melbourne, where winter has brought even cooler temperatures. Dennis, a friend a have met in Delft a couple of years ago when he was studying there for a semester after I came back from Barcelona, picked me up from the airport with his 1973 Alfa-Romeo sportscar! He was there with a friend with whom he lives together and went out to surf that (cold sunday) morning. It was really really REALLY great seeing Dennis again. We have been spending all afternoon chatting and walking around Melbourne, and in the evening we have gone out for dinner together with his friend and housemate Math and another friend and housemate (girl) named Marrain and Dennis' grilfriend Emmily, that I've met before in Delft aswell. It was really nice, AND good food! First evening in Australia I have already Kangaroo! Very nice! Love Australia alreay!

More to come soon.

SICK!

How insane is this picture hey (for the ones recognising Daan's sister Jans and her boyfriend)!? On (alomst) my last morning in Tokyo (and Japan) I walked up to a museum designed by Le Corbusier- thought I'd better go check it out- I saw them just coming out of it. Out of the blue, I meet friends on the streets of Tokyo, a city with 36 million inhabitants... this is really insane! I went crazy- just couldnt believe it. really nice! We've been chatting about Japan (they were just starting a 4 week trip) and in the evening we met again for some dinner and drinks. It was really REALLY nice!

Defeated!

The mountains, or the weather-gods have defeated me. I didnt het higher then 2300m. There was snow and I couldn`t find the track. I have been looking for it for 45min, but couldn`t find it. With the ice and all the boulders (as you can see in the pictures) it was quite dangerous, and since I thought you`d all like to see the photos, I thought: lets enjoy it from here. Nice thing was that all the way up dan down (4,5hours) I didnt see a single soul. Only the last 6 of the approx.18km`s (along the river) there were quite a few Japanese tourists... but up in the mountain, all alone was realy really really special. Really great- just the sound of birds, wind and my respiration and sound of pumping of blood in my ears... That`s life... so defeated? Guess not!

pictures at picasa

Mountains

Today I have arrived in Katayama, in what is called the `japanese alps`. Sure hilly here, but alps... not really.. yet. I`ll get up early in the morning (0600h) to go catch a bus to Kamakochi, 1500m up in the mountains (there should be real ones there). From there I am planning to climb up the 3rd highest mountain of Japan, some 3190m. Up in the morning and down in the afternoon again to get back to my hostell in Katayama with the last bus... Let`s hope the weather is good. By the time the first one reads this I will at least be half-way up if all gets well.

The hostell that I am staying at in Katayama is actually not really a hostell- it is a Zenn-buhdist temple, that rents out rooms (dormitory). Nice people here. Lots of young people wanting to go up mountains. It`s got a good athmosphere. It is run by one of the monks, an old guy that speaks perfect Enlish. I`ll take pictures here before leaving, promise.

After Kyoto I have travelled to Hiroshima, to see what the first atomic bomb had done. There was a memorial park and a museum documenting the events. It was very impressive!

After that I went to Himeji, where there was an amazing and huge castle, still mostly in authentic style. That was marvelous... check the pictures (although they are not half as good as reality).

pictures

After that I`ve spent a day in Nara and a day in Osaka, where I have visited more temples and a museum by Tadao Ando. It was nice but all not really what I`d expected. So, now I am here, planning to spent some days in the mountains before heading back to Tokyo, to spent my last days in Japan with Marieke and see some more of that amazing city.

Bas.

Kyoto-2

Hello there!

I have spent a couple of days in Kyoto. This is the cultural centre of Japan so heaps of temples, gardens and shrines. I walked a lot and the result you can see in mi picasa-website:

pictures of Kyoto

Anyway, in the hostell in Kyoto I met a guy and a girl from Barcelona and we spent a lot of time chatting in the evenings. Yesterday-evening I was planning to write a long story about Kyoto, but first I ended up having a great politcal discussion about life with Felio- the guy from Barcelona- who by the way has travelled an amazing lot. After that we ate something together and another Spanish guy with his argentenian girlfriend joined us at the table. They had also just started a trip around the world so who knows, maybe we;ll meet again somewhere on this planet. Never thought I would speak so much Spanish in Japan! Haha.

But since we had such a good time yesterday evening I didnt manage to write. I think that all the temple and castle and garden stuff will speak for itself. Enjoy the pictures. I am off to Hiroshima now, catching a speedy train again, so go and see what those Americans have done there at the end of WWII. Talk to you soon!

Greetings,

Bas.

PS I ENJOY YOUR COMMENTS! So dont leave without posting one!

Kyoto-1

Hello there again.

I am in Tokyo now, and my internet-money is running out after all this blog work. I will try to give you an impression of Kyoto a.s.a.p. for in this hostell there is easy to use internet... but a bit expensive... dont know when I will be able to use it again because tomorrow will be a busy day- running from temple to temple.

More to come soon...

Photos

By the way people, I have arranged some of the photos in the picasa albums-new and old-, and turned them so they are better to view...

Kanazawa

After Sendai I travelled to Kanazawa on the north-coast of Japans main island. By bullettrain it took me just a couple of hours. It was a great trip to see some of the countryside... wanted to jump out and do some more hikes... hope I have time for that at the end of my trip... after having seen Kyto and all of that...

Kanazawa is quite a small city, and not much there except one of Japans best gardens, a beautifull villa- where taking photos was out of the question, and a very new museum of contemporary art. I checked into a small guesthouse... and this turned out to be amazing again!! Runned by a friendly older woman, it was just great! Clean tatami room again for me, and quite a few interesting travelers- some americans and an australian botanist woman... very nice conversations again.. and some tips for my trip in Australia. Unfortunately I have not taken any pictures of that guesthouse.... it was as if time had stood still for 40years. The telephones for the rooms were still distributed from the reception with one of these antique swithboards! And all the painting and furniture was old, but very well maintained and clean.. amazing.. all organized around a small patio garden.

The museum and the gardeb were just a couple of mintues walking. In the museum there was quite an interesting exhibition of Ron Mueck, who makes hyper realist sculptures... really amazing! I added some pictures I googled just to give you an impression. Forget about Duane Hanson of the sixties.. this guy makes madamme Toussods looks like amateurs!

Anyway, the museum is quite an interesting building aswell, but I dont want this to become an architecture blog- so, just google it if you want more, or check the pictures in my picasa album.

The garden was really amazing- I can understand it is one of Japans best. It was again very hot and humid and cloudy, and however it might have spoiled the pictures a bit, the sights were stunning! Enjoy the pictures at:

pictures at picasa

Sendai-2

Hello there!

In Sendai in that great hostell I met an Italian girl named Alessandra, she was from Torino and was doing an internship at Slow Food, Japan. Very interesting stuff, great talks. Also, the Sendai Mediatheque, a famous contemporary building I wanted to see, was closed on my first day, so I had to stay another night for else I would have come up north- by 300km/hour bullet train, you have seen in the previous pictures- for nothing.

Luckily I waited fot the Mediatheque to open because it was really a radical building[in terms of structure], really worth seeing. Especially the lift-ride trough one of these web-like shafts was really some experience.

That day I had to spent extra in Sendai was a great day by the way. I found out, just in time, that some of Japans best coastal scenery was close to Sendai: a small bay filled with with over 200 small islands. No people and just some small fishing-villages. It was kind of difficult finding my way there since everything was only in Japanese... but really nice to be hiking a bit in nature! Spent a day crossing some bridges to some islands and climbing a small hill there... Hope the pictures tell some of the Sendai story. In real-life it was about a 100times better- except for the crazy heat and humidity.

For the pictures check:
http://picasaweb.google.com/basvanderpol1980/Sendai

Sendai-1

Dear all,

I am in Sendai now (and found time to quickly write...). Just wanted to show you how great the youthostell in Sendai is! Check the pictures above! Traditional tatami-rooms in traditional old farmhouse! Fantastic.

I cam here by Shinkansen, bullettrain. Very comfortable. I will stay only one day (2 noghts) and then hit the road again.

Hope you are all well. Take care- Bas.

Tokyo and Yokohama

Dear people,

Finally I found another internet-place. Today I visited a fishmarket in Tokyo and Yokohama. And yesterday afternoon I went up one of Tokyo's tallest buildings. I have added to pictures to the picasa page from previous message.

Tomorrow I will leave Tokyo and head for Sendai (north).

Its amazing here.

Bas.

Tokyo- Japan

Dear All!

I have arrived in Tokyo. It was a excellent flight, contrary to my expectations. I had the best seat in the plane and very kind KLM people and a nice German guy (living in Tokyo) sitting next to me to chat a bit.

Marieke, my Dutch friend that works as an architect here in Tokyo, picked me up at a trainstation and I am staying at her small but quite comfortable place. She usually works crazy hours but she seems to have been able to make some time to spent with me which is excellent.. and he has introduced me to Tokyo and learned me quickly how to travel this huge (35million inhabitants) megapolis. Great to have such a guide!

Everything is amazing here, everything is so different, and people speak hardly any English (which I find quite amazing). And I am told that outside the Tokyo-Yokohama region there is even lesser English or Western-writing... so, I suppose Japan will become quite an adventure...

The first 2 days I have been going around the city while Marieke was working. I have checked some areas with very interesting contemporary architecture (since Tokyo has grown very fast and was bombed during the war not a lot of historic stuff still excists in Tokyo- so, temple pictures will come once I visit Kyoto). The only drawback is that is is the rainy season now in Japan, and it has been raining a lot since I got here (almost 2 days in a row now, first day was a bit better though). But it is ok- I guess I will get used to 26 degrees and rain...

Oh yes, I have also felt already two earthquakes (terremoto in Spanish I believe). Nothing to worry about, "we get one of those every couple of days" Marieke told me. Haha, welcome to Japan!

Marieke will go for work now to London and Paris and Lausanne, so she will be back in Tokyo next week, by which time I will have left first North to Sendai and then Southward to Kyoto, Osaka and more. First two more days in Tokyo and Yokohama. At the end, 8-11 june probably I will be visiting Tokyo-area again.

Oh yes, before I forget: it is quite hard to find a place with internet here, since every Japanese has internet on his mobile they have no need to go outdoors... so I have no clue how often I will be able to post any messages on the blog or upload any pictures. Sorry for that. I`ll make up for that in Australia, it`s a promise.

Also my mobile phone doesnt work, so don`t be tempted to sent any messages since I will not be able at all to read them (unfortunately).

Well, folks, that`s all for now. Thanks for all your kind messages! Contrary to all your beliefs, I will (and already do) miss you guys every now and then. But I am fine now and looking forward to seeing the rest of this a-mazing country.

Take care,

Bas.

for pictures check: http://picasaweb.google.com/basvanderpol1980/TokyoJapan1


PS1 Marc and Clarissa: yes! looking forward to meeting you in Australia! Can`t wait, to be honest, especially after our good times in Darmstadt and Frankfurt!
PS2 Jan, vet succes met de laatste loodjes van de film- ik ben er zeker van dat hij heeel vet wordt en kan niet wachten hem te ontvangen. Laat me even weten als ie klaar is want misschien is het het makkelijkst als je hem op CD naar die vriend van me in Melbourne stuurt.
PS3 Freek makker hou je haaks, wat ben je toch een fijne vent.
PS4 Ka, ik mis jullie nu al, maar dat maakt niks, ik ga nu vet genieten.
PS5 Benjamin tio! Fijn dat je mijn blog gevonden en gechecked heb- keep it up.
PS6 Helen, ich denke auch an dich- und viel gluck mit Bjorn zusammen wohnen zu gehen!! Grussen auch fur ihn.
PS7 Jordie, thanks- en ich weit dat ste good op heur lets.
PS8 Elke, tot snel! Succes met je kunstwerken (en vergeet sleutels en contract SAM niet).

hasta patata

Tot in de pruimentijd mensen! Laatste dagen waren super!

starting date

It has to start somewhere
It has to start some time
What better place then here?
What better place then now!?

19 june 2008, 15:20h, my flight to Tokyo will leave from Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam). Just so you know.
Bas.

prologe

Like every 'tour', my 'tour du monde' has a 'prologe' aswell. I visited the Greek island of Milos with Laetitia, one of my very best friends! All pictures you see are made by her (some are incredible). It was an amazing trip and a great way to prepare and relax before my world-trip.

Milos is a volcanic island (like famous Santorini) and has many amazing landscapes: every erosiontype geology has to offer you will find on Milos. We found many many deserted rocky beaches with crystal clear blue water. Amazingly beautifull and for us alone (almost no tourists in june at Milos). We camped, rented bikes (and a small scooter for one day), had great food... just perfect.

Now a week of final preperations and say-off's is a awaiting me. I must say I sense a bit of anxiety now... but, if you want something in life: just reach out and grab it.

You can check a few pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/basvanderpol1980/PrologeGreece3608110608

roadmap

I made a little map so all of you can see where I will be going.

launch count down

Welcome people,

I am trippin'! Check out my travels.

Bas.