Monthly Archives: July 2007

Kiahuna Beach

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Woke up early to catch our flight to Kauai. At the airport we had breakfast while waiting for our flight. Unfortunately it was delayed due to some maintenance problem and our departure was going to be 1 hour delayed.

However, we could get seats on the next flight only 20 minutes or so later. And to our surprise our bags were also on the same flight. They probably shipped all bags as soon as they could.

We drove the now familiar way to Poipu plantation in our rental car. Checked in to our room, which was available at once, unpacked and got ready to go to the beach. Problem was which beach to go to… Well, not a problem at all since we just went to our favorite beach 5 minutes drive away, Kiahuna beach.

Poipu plantation

We stayed here the whole afternoon until 5 pm or so. Playing in the waves, reading, watching people, relaxing. It’s almost like we have not been away at all.

Sunset in Poipu

After the beach we went to have ice cream, Tutu’s anniversary, yummy. And then a visit to the grocery store for dinner, wine and Sobe.

Chie having dinner Pasta

Makapuu Beach

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Slept-in this morning. Then we bought some sandwich and went to the Makapuu beach not far from Honolulu. It was a nice beach with quite a lot of people… Compared to Kauai. Still, it was nice in the water and hot in the sand.

It was quite big waves so in the afternoon we went to another beach closer to Waikiki. Mostly local people here and much calmer in the water. We stayed until 5 or s before returning to the hotel.

At 7 pm we had dinner at the Tako-no-ki, a Japanese restaurant run by Japanese. It was tasty, although not as tasty as we have had in Tokyo.

Honolulu by night

Going on Vacation to Honolulu

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It’s Saturday and we have to travel again. However, this time it is only for pleasure. Chie and I are going to Hawaii. First stop is Honolulu. We will stay there for two days and then continue to Kauai.

We slept almost the whole flight. I woke up the last 2 hours or so before arriving at Honolulu international airport in the morning the same day we left Tokyo. We got our bags, got our rental car, checked in at the hotel (although we could not get the room just yet), and went shopping.

Honolulu

Besides buying some things for Chie we also had the chance to visit an Apple store to try the new iPhone. It’s pretty cool, although I will not buy it when it is released in Sweden. I would like to have 3G-capability and not simple GSM before I buy it.

After shopping we had a short rest at the hotel. Then it was time for dinner at Duke’s. Chie had grilled scampi on a bed of pasta and I had grilled Ahi (yellowtail tuna) with seven spices and herbs. It was great, both dishes.

Chie sipping a Mai Tai

ISO-Meeting in Ibusuki

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This week was work, work, work. A whole week of meetings at the ISO-meeting in Ibusuki, Japan. I mainly attended the manufacturing group. Not much happened there but they showed some progress in implementing the STEP-NC standard.

Every night, almost, we had Japanese dinner. The day we arrived in Ibusuki, Torbjorn, Chie and I, we had a ryokan-style (Japanese inn) dinner with many, many small dishes. We all enjoyed it very much.

Torbjorn I and Chie

On Sunday night we had a welcome reception with a buffet-dinner. This time it was both western style and Japanese food. I think only the Japanese delegates ate of the western style food. Before we had the buffet we had a great performance of taiko (Japanese drums). They were between 3 and 18 years old, but I think most were around 15. Then we also had time for an informal tea ceremony before the buffet. It was fun to watch how everyone struggled with how to drink the tea.

Taiko Taiko
Young drummers and Johan Tea master at Hakusuikan

Tuesday nigh is always social event on these meetings. This time we went to a museum of one of the strongest samurai-families in Japan. They came from the satsuma-area and Kagoshima-island on which Ibusuki is located. It was interesting, especially since I could recognize many things from the books I have been reading about feudal Japan.

On Thursday night we had a BBQ-party at the pool-side. It was great. Everyone enjoyed it. Delicious food and good company. Some even had a swim in the pool before going to bed.

BBQ

On Friday the usual business meeting was held. Every participating country voted on resolutions that have been suggested during the meeting. Then it was taxi and bus to the airport and a flight back to Tokyo. Torbjorn took a flight to Nagoya to continue back to Sweden the next day – via Frankfurt and a night in Copenhagen.

During my stay at the Hakusuikan (hotel where we stayed and where the meeting was held) I also tried their onsen (Japanese bath). They had something called sunamushi-onsen, which is hot sand onsen. Dark sand was heated by steam from the hot spring water underneath it. Of course they had a normal onsen as well.

Sunamushi-onsen