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Tokyo Tangents: May 2014
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Monday, May 12, 2014. Hiking = Emotional roller coaster. It's not only the elevation that's changing. The birds are chirping, the sky is blue and the sun is beaming over the horizon. It is early for a Saturday, but you are a hiker, and early mornings do not deter you. You are are packed and ready to go. You will (almost) definitely not miss the train. The distant peaks cut a sharp outline on the horizon. They are calling you. You might ha...
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Tokyo Tangents: March 2013
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Saturday, March 30, 2013. Time for a bit of catch-up, I suppose. As usual, that time between January and April has flown by in the blink of an eye. January brought a snow day,. The afore-mentioned trip to see the some pretty lights,. Intermission, where the 6th graders participated in Japanese cultural activities and an exchange with a local school. And a cold but refreshing hike or two. The bottom line: we had fun, despite the rain.
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Tokyo Tangents: Mandalay, Part2
http://canaryblue.blogspot.com/2015/05/mandalay-part2.html
Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Thursday, May 28, 2015. It’s a short hop across the river to the ancient capital of Ava, and when we approach the ferry dock we are immediately pounced on by adorable children selling jewelry. We trade names, complements, even jokes,* and I promise to buy necklaces. I want them upon my return. (Which, of course, I do). Girl 1: Where are you from? Me: America. Where are you from? Girls 1 and 2 (in unison): My mother! Our last stop for the ...
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Tokyo Tangents: February 2014
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Saturday, February 8, 2014. Camino Finisterre, Part 2. Some fields and roads to start, but then the track heads up into a range of hills, climbing above the rushing river below. Windmills turn, and turn, and turn. Up to Hospital, where the path splits; I head left towards Finisterre, the blue haze of the sea at last the only thing on the horizon, far away beyond the hills. Half-moon hanging above the pines. Path rising and falling. I coul...
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Tokyo Tangents: November 2012
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Thursday, November 22, 2012. One of my favorite things about living in Japan has been the chance to do some amazing hiking - an hour or two headed west on the train is all it takes to be in the middle of stunning mountain ranges and clear rushing rivers. Or heating water using small kerosene burners to make something more substantial. last weekend I observed grilled cheese being toasted. We started with a gradual climb through a gorge, pa...
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Tokyo Tangents: March 2015
http://canaryblue.blogspot.com/2015_03_01_archive.html
Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Sunday, March 8, 2015. I relish the feel of cool tile under my bare feet, the warm sun on my face, a fresh morning breeze in my hair, the sound of chanting in my ears, as I circle a golden stupa. This is Myanmar, and I am loving it. Smeared on their faces, sit cross-legged on the ground, chatting between transactions. We continue to walk, past crumbling colonial buildings, through the Strand Hotel, across the (brand new! A photo gallery s...
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Tokyo Tangents: January 2013
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Thursday, January 24, 2013. Temples of Angkor Wat (1). The sky is just lightening as me and the bike head north along the river, cool and clammy morning air sliding past as I pedal easily out of town, into the park as forest encroaches the road, school kids in uniforms everywhere. As the sun begins to climb, I am one of only a handful of admirers overlooking the basin of Srang Sray before delving into Banteay Kdei. And here I am, not just...
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Tokyo Tangents: September 2014
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Sunday, September 21, 2014. Morning archery session at the ger. Camp, aiming the blunt-tipped arrows at a sheepskin target. The arrows arc through the air with a satisfying flair. As I contemplate the. Possible significance of various offerings). When my third circle is complete, I toss my stone to join the others, and Niema fills me in on the background of these religious sites, called an ovoo. The tradition began long ago, when men goin...
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Tokyo Tangents: October 2014
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Tangent: a digression, or: a line or surface that touches another. Friday, October 24, 2014. It was a Sunday in Kungur - people strolling about; music always drifting from somewhere. Former mansions, owned by merchants, now repurposed: pastel shades, ornate stonework, scrolling iron balconies; some maintained, some crumbling and cracking. Go a block off the main drag, however, and the roads are dirt. Wooden houses mix with concrete ones. The river seems to be everywhere, sedately flowing. The delicious t...
