A Very Good Weekend!

Full of unexpectedness and not necessarily everything I had planned for it, but then that is have the fun of life, sometimes.

Friday night I had a quiet one in, and thought about all that I wanted to do on Saturday, before heading down to Bagus on Saturday evening. I rang my tea ceremony teacher and worked out that between us, we won’t be meeting up for tea ceremony lessons again until November. Kinda made me feel better that she’s just as busy.

Talked to Tracy on Friday night too. Internet phone is great. And for some reason, there is virtually no lag on Skype b/w Japan and Poland, yet I find considerable lag when talking to people in Australia. That’s why I haven’t been more effervescent about its wonders, until now.

My plans for Saturday involved vacuuming and mopping my place; finally posting some things which have been sitting on my desk and in my freezer for 2 or 3 weeks now; putting up more photos on gypsycat_dreams; doing some emailing and maybe even preparing food to freeze for my lunches this week.

My plans distinctly did not involve waking up Saturday morning and deciding to buy a mobile phone that day. Nor did they involve riding around all Saturday afternoon (having done research on the net in the morning) looking for a shop that stocked the prepaid models I was looking for. They certainly did not involve me coming home empty-handed and too headachey to do anything much more than blob. And nowhere in my plans was the rain all day which meant Bagus was shut that night!

I went down anyway, ever optomistic, and went for an explore along the beaches to the other side of bagus. Discovered that since last I’d been that way, a lot of work has been done making walkways all along the base of the cliffs which house so many ryokans. Found a pathway onto some mini cliff-like rocks which jut out into the ocean. Clambered around until I found a cozy spot looking out over the ocean. The sky was so beautiful – such rich blacks from the rain clouds, lightened with patches of clear sky, and light grey clouds. Such a conundrum – beautiful, beautiful skies to photograph due to the stormy nature of them, but due to the stormy nature of them I could not have my camera with me. A car would be very useful sometimes. A car would mean I wouldn’t have to think about how the weather will be for the next 3 or more hours after I leave the house. Plastic bags and bike baskets just don’t offer the same peace of mind :-/

Sunday I headed off to Osaka in the morning, continuing my quest for a mobile. Finally found out that the model I was looking for has been superceded and as such only the stocks left in stores are now available. Given that none of the stores in Wakayama had any left, nor the four stores in Umeda which I went to, I finally went for the fluorescent yellow model. I shan’t be losing it or mistaking it for anyone else’s anytime soon!

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Believe me it’s brighter in real life. Think highlighter yellow!!!

Mission accomplished, I headed on to Umeda Sky Building where the Beer Summit was happening. Mike, Luke and two others I didn’t know, Kate and Paco, arrived a few minutes after me. We were later joined by others (Julian & Emily, Nat & Andrew – the NZ couple, not the two we all know and adore in Melbourne!, Brett and his girlfriend, Mark & Melissa) Also ran into someone from swing class, Ben – another Melbournian. I got up on a chair to take a photo of the crowd, and just as I’m releasing the shutter, it clicks in my mind that there is someone I recognise in this shot, not 3 metres away from me!

I sampled all three flavours of the one beer in the world which I like – a Belgium beer called Kriek. Thank-you Nat for introducing us last year! It was available in three flavours: cherry, strawberry and banana. The cherry was my favourite, and banana is not to be done again. It tasted the most like beer, with the added delight of fake banana flavour *screws up face*

I also indulged in turkish kebabs…mmmm, yummy! They were my staple for the rest of the day! There was lots of other different foods there: Indonesian, Indian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, German, Vietnamese. But it is Turkish which I feen for and just cannot get here. Not easily and cheaply, at any rate!
The guy at my fave stand insisted on haivng a photo taken with me when I asked if I could take their photos! (other photos will be posted on the other journal, soon.

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There was entertainment all throughout the day, a couple of different Japanese bands – one performing reggae style music and one performing western rock, I think. The other entertainment included: Korean singers, traditional Japanese dancers, belly dancers, flamenco dancers, a bagpipe band consisting both of Scottish and Japanese members and a taiko band.

The beer festival ended at 9pm, and I planned to head home after that. However Julian and Emily and some others were heading to Sam & Dave’s (a nightclub chain) for Middle Eastern night and the promise of more bellydancers. I figured I’d wander along – there was still time enough left before the last train home and any chance of seeing bellydancing is not to be passed up! We arrived at one branch of S&D’s, only to find it empty and that Middle Eastern night was at the Umeda S&D’s. I was going to leave, but then one of the bartenders waved at me – it was Zack, a new S&D’s bartender who I met at swing last Wednesday! Swing classes/social on Wednesday nights are held at the Umeda branch of S&D’s, and Zack gets shuffled between all the branches of the club. In fact he was due to start work at the Umeda branch at midnight and asked if we’d be going along. He said he’d try and put my name on the door and list it for 4-5 people so hopefully we could all get in for free. Score! This was after he’d made me a delicious cocktail and not charged me. I like this concept of knowing the bartender *grin*

I was still in the mood to stay out, and was inspired by the idea of having my name on the door, and knowing that if I went, at least I’d be able to chat to someone there! So I decided to go back to Umeda. Everyone else decided to stay on for Salsa night at the place we were at, and maybe check out Pure – a new club with all you can drink included in the entry fee.

Oh, yeah, that’s something I keep meaning to mention. The concept of “all you can drink”. It is widely found at restaurants here, and will at least include beers and chuuhais (girly fizzy drinks), and at best include cocktails and spirits. Such an entirely different way of thinking for this to be something advertised and encouraged – yes, do drink yourself into a stupor! Of course, it is very popular, especially given it’s usually the cost of just 2-3 drinks anyway.

Back to the story. I headed off to Umeda, having made the decision that I would be staying in Osaka all night, not only that but at the bar because the only comfy 24 hr internet cafe I know to go to for sleep is at Namba.

I stashed my bag in a locker and found Zack at the bar. Almost immediately a couple of Brits came up and started chatting with me, and I was quite well occupied and kept company the rest of the night by them! They were part of the band which works at Buckingham Palace and plays while the change of guard happens. I didn’t even know there was such a band. let alone know that there are five, usually three on duty in London and two touring the world. The things you learn!

It did amuse me to notice that when I was paying for my drinks, Zack would either not accept money, or charge me just 500yen (average price being 700-900), but when someone else was buying me a drink they were charged full price. Zack also did a couple of shots with me and whoever I was talking with.

The bar atmosphere was great, totally crazy and totally different from the other S&D’s I’ve been at. I’ve only been twice before, and both times found it to be very much a meat market. But the Umeda branch seemed more fun and less desperate. It made a big difference already knowing one of the staff too. All the bartenders are wacky, and would do shots regularly and ring this big bell. Zack had a squeaky toy chicken at his section of the bar. When the song “Tequila” came on, one of the bartenders went out onto the dance floor, holding a bottle of tequila and a bottle of lime cordial from which he poured shots into willing mouths! It seriously reminded me of the bar in the movie, Coyote Ugly!

I danced most of the night away, finally giving into tiredness about 4am and sitting down. It was such a fun night, and having guys flirt around with me was a very welcome experience here and added to the general good feeling of the whole day for me.

I left at 5 and finally, finally reached my bed at 7:30. The trip home is always such a killer! It’s not normally so long, but in the early hours trains aren’t as regular and are more likely to be the regular speed trains, not the express ones.

I was then woken at 9:30 by a very very welcome phone call, which came with apologies for waking me up. But I never get grumpy over international calls!

I went back to sleep afterwards, intending to get up early afternoon to head down to the dragon boat racing and take photos. Yesterday was a public holiday, hence the late rising and staying out all night on Sunday without any qualms. However it was raining yesterday so I embarked on a cycle of setting my alarm, sleeping, waking, seeing it was still raining and resetting my alarm. Given I only wanted to go to take photos, there wasn’t any point in me going while it was raining – not to mention the fact that I don’t want to go anywhere with my camera in rainy weather and only a plastic bag for protection.

I got up in the early evening and spent the rest of the evening in a surreal fog; the sort of fog which always takes me after a night out and a day spent sleeping. A very good reason why I don’t do it that often! My days are too precious to squander them regularly. It’s amazing the difference it makes to me getting home at 4 vs getting home b/w 7 and 9.

And now I’m at work. I just showed a teacher my new mobile and her comment was “It’s very yellow. Is yellow your lucky colour?” And now I’ve decided the rainbow and stars I put on the back look very girly and I’m not sure if I like them! Don’t mind the front, but the back is too cute and girlish. That’s what I get for decorating it in a sleep-depped fog!