Entries this day: AM_Before_leaving Bye_Kellie Bye_Miki Hello_Narita bye_Hitomi_and_Rie ice-free_uzbekistan_airlines last_hour_in_Japan! osaka_byebye zzzz_if_the_Buddha_dated

AM Before leaving

12:21pm JST Wednesday 05 October 2005

Aight: super fast: I checked TJ Bike and he seems fine. Tires are a little low, but by no means flat. I turned his wheels 1/4 turn and left him at that.

Special thanks to Hitomi for holding my stuff while I'm gone.

Gotta collect my junk, mail some junk, then get the funk outta here. And tidy Kellie's room a bit.

Didn't get all my pics from PB49 incorporated into my journal.

Bye Kellie

1:45pm Tokyo Wednesay October 5th 2005

Have left Kellie's house and am on the bus to MusashiKosugi station and then will take a train to Kawasaki where I hope to meet Miki, though she hasn't responded to my text message yet.

Before hopping on the bus, I stopped by the post office and mailed coins to Karina, my old broken GPS and cables to Art, and Chinese textbooks to Bryn.

It was a bit of a trick to explain that I didn't mind if the little package I put together for Karina was placed in a larger envelope. They were all wonering what to do since tthere was no Japanese return-address on the package and not enough room to write one.

I sang a song to put myself in a more optimistic mood after that.

Bye Miki

4:00pm Tokyo Wednesay October 5th 2005

I am on the train again after having met Miki in Kawasaki for a brief time to chat while I got money from the bank and mailed the package to janette. It will go slowly, so it "only" cost 4550 yen to send. Eek. But it's allllllll good.

Went to the Vodafone shop after that where Miki talked to them about pausing my service. That's not possible, per se but I may stop my service and restart it (for only a 2800 yen fee) whenever I want. I was like "no way, jack" cause I'd only be saving 3000 yen and lose my phone number, which I can rattle off in Japanese or English.

Actually, I just checked, and I can do it better in Japanese. I have to translate the digits to English to say it in English. Wow.

Afterward, we headed over to Azaela for some lunch, which was probably a good call on her part; I haven't eaten a lot today (thanks to Kellie for making chicken for her lunch and giving me some for my breakfast!) and that may have been contributing to my grumpy mood.

(why doesn't the Vodafone rep know from which bank my monthly payments are coming?)

We stepped in to McDonald's (forgive me, Gaia) because it's fast and cheap; I got two 100 yen chicken sandwiches and one 100 yen vanilla shake. Miki chilled with me while I chowed one sandwich and half the shake. She is so darling and cute! Little ponytail from near the top of her head but still going backward, not upward. Always wearing white and always precious smile with one slightly crooked tooth like a beauty mark.

She walked me to the train station and hugged me on my way.

Hmmm; I am typing using my Handspring Visor and keyboard. But I just realized that I might only have one set of AAA rechargeable batteries. I can't remember having seen the second set anywhere while packing. I imagine my Visor will lose its marbles if I have it unbatteried long enough for the batteries to be charged.

Hello Narita

5:55pm Tokyo Wednesday 5 October 2005

I've arrived at the airport! I got to Nippori no problem and hopped on the next Narita Airport bound train o the Keisei line, which happened to be an all-seats-reserved train, but I didn't pay the extra fee. The guy on the train who was checking holepunched my ticket so I couldn't get out through the gate (and he asked for my name and confirmation of what station I would depart the train) but I just handed the ticket to an overworked guy taking tickets and walked through.

I realize now, that from the train guy's point of view, the system has been gypped, and he's going to report it and know about it and know they are out 920 yen (9.2 chicken sandwiches at McDonalds), and next time the next guy like me might not be able to get away so easily. Sorry, guy...

I am an hour early at the Y terminal, so I'm waiting, thinking about what I've done, which includes depositing my umbrella carefully along the escalator because I no longer want to carry it and hope some umbrella-needer finds it.

Little kids are going crazy with hyper energy aroound the copious stacks of luggage, all carefully monitored by their respective humans.

bye Hitomi and Rie

8:30pm Tokyo Wednesday 5 October 2005

On the plane now, and have a window seat, though I should be sleepin' for most of the flight, I think.... I haven't actually done a check to see what time it is now in Tel Aviv, but I think they are about 6 hours behind Japan, so I should stay awake until about 6 hours after a normal person's sleeping time, which I nearly have been for the past few days. Hahah I'm already accustomed to Tel Aviv time!

Talked to Rie for a bit before we left, and she asked who had me so upset on the phone. I had to tell her.

So far I don't have anyone beside me.

ice free uzbekistan airlines

Oooh perfect! They served drinks with NO ICE, just the way I like! And they didn't ask what we wanted; just offered a tray with drinks already poured. orange drink, coke, vodka, I think. I poured my orange drink into my empty 200ml Pocari Sweat bottle for safe keeping.

This is an Uzbekistan Airways Boeing 767, and the cabin attendants are tall. The TVs in my section of the plane are more often staticky than clear, but I can sorta tell what's going on. It's about as clear as a VCR with really messed up tracking. Except when it's completely dark.

They are speaking in a language that sounds like Russian, then in English, then in Japanese.

Ooooohhh.. I think we are flying to Osaka first!

20:48 Tokyo Wednesday 5 October 2005

We are backing up now and there was a weird squilling sound like a ribbed hose being slurped past a corner and into place.

22:05 Tokyo Wednesday 5 October 2005

We have arrived in Osaka.

I was just wondering how much time is spent stopping and starting a 767 as opposed to stopping and starting a train. My experience on trains around Tokyo says that it takes 1 minute extra per stop/start as opposed to just rolling through a station. A lot more for a 767. But trains are heavier than 767s. But 767s fly faster than trains. Is air-travel vs surface-travel a significant factor?

I have been reading _if the Buddha dated_ by Charlotte Kasl.

last hour in Japan!

Last hour in Japan!

Hello from Osaka!

I was unaware we would have an hour layover here, but it's given me a bit of
internet access to write this message!

I was able to get my things packed, but somehow my suitcase bloated during the
final moments; I added a couple of winter clothes and *bang*; I had to unzip the
expansion part to make it all fit!  But I'm much better this time with a single
suitcase and backpack than all the stuff I brought on P/B 49th voyage!

I still know basically nothing about what to expect when I reach Tel Aviv.  I'm
just supposed to not tell them I'm an activist, wanting to help the Palestinians,
for if I do, the Israeli-controlled immigration will try to put me on the next
plane out.  If that happens, the ISM website suggests I refuse to comply with
safety requirements, and they will put me in jail for a day or so and then let me
go.   Or something to that effect.

But it's my intention to slip through unnoticed, and just make my way to Jerusalem
and a hostel there (where Niveen said she'll make a reservation for me).

Tel Aviv!  Jerusalem!  My brain still doesn't know what to do with these words. 
Are they actually cities?  Do people fly on magic carpets?  Is there electricity? 
Moses?  People wearing long robes and playing mysterious music?

That's why I'm going - so I can say I've gone.  And hopefully help make a
difference for Olive Harvest 2005.

I have Francois, so he will be featured in many photos.

In the world I think I understand, I have just begun reading _if the Buddha dated_
by Charlotte Kasl.

Okay; we're going to board in 3 minutes.

    Love and Blessings

     - Rob! 

osaka byebye

wednesday 5 october 2005 23:44pm osaka

I just sent a Rob Update and was *amazed* that Hitomi called me just before I sent it. I had been flying for over an hour, with phone off, an *I* thought my next moment would be in Tashkent, far away from Vodafone Japan's reach. How did Hitomi know she could talk to me? I had just turned my phone on to use the clock so I would know when to get back to the boarding gate. Incredible.

I notice that I feel some sadness that I did not get to reply to Miki's text message, nor talk to Satoko who called me *just* as I turned off my phone to get on the plane. I'm guessing she got the Rob Update email and then tried to call me to say Bye.

Hitomi keeps asking me why I don't trust her when I say I don't trust her, and then why I do trust her when I say I do. I trust her to keep calling me when I want to be alone. I trust her to keep my stuff safely. I don't trust her to respect my boundaries. I don't trust her to understand why I change my answers from moment to moment.

Now settling in for an 8 hour flight at 10,820 meters.

20:34pm Tashkent Wednesday 5 October 2005

I just changed my clock to Tashkent time.

zzzz if the Buddha dated

21:27pm Tashkent Wednesday 5 October 2005

_if the Buddha dated_ seems to be just perfect for me.

It talks about a lot of the same things I've talked / wondered / thought about, and goes a bit further with some of them.

For examle, I often make references to my angels and being able to listen for guidance from my angels. The voice is always loving, always patient, always truth.

The book talks about inner guidance as well. I take it to be different descritions of the same thing.

Then I wondered what languge my angels can use. I've used English by default, but I guess Japanese would be just as good. But.... spoken languages are filled (*) with inconsistencies, etc.. I'm sure my angels would know how I hear something and use the right words for me, but..

I bet it's more accurate to think the teaching comes and then I translate it into my most commonly used languauge. Well, why not learn the language of the angels?

And last, I have known for a while that I choose / chase women as friends / cohorts / cohabitants. I don't have nearly as many male friends. Why? How do I stop?

from page 38 of _if the Buddha dated_:

We become more natural and relaxed with people through spending time with friends, revealing ourselves, settling conflicts, and taking on adventures. Our path is not so much to find a lover as to be a good lover of life, of all people.

(*) I was going to use "fraught" "fraut" "froght" but I can't decide how to spell it.