Sanuk Canadian

This post is part of a series regarding a Middle Eastern cruise in the U.A.E and Oman. Previous installments can be found HERE .  The lengthy title of this blog post explains it all -- I visited what TripAdvisor calls, the must see attraction in the Middle East -- the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Unofficially known as "The White Mosque" due to its gleaming white marble, this mosque has free entry to visitors from all over the world, regardless of one's religion. My friend and I picked up the self-guided audio tour headsets (also free -- just present some I.D) and followed the recording to see and hear all the highlights of this mosque. Photos along the tour's route are below. Please enjoy! Dome & details.     Far right: a lagoon reflects the many pillars at the white mosque. Left: Archway highlights a dome in the background.     Middle: a spire.           Far right: Dome with lotus flower inspired chand...

Summer is the time for festivals all across Japan; the most popular ones are the bon odori , or dance festivals. Festival attendees can either watch the dancers, or join in -- depending on the festival. In early August, I enjoyed one of the most popular dance festivals -- the Awa Odori -- a dance which originated in the Shikoku region of Japan. Fortunately for me, there was an Awa Odori being presented in Kanagawa. Hurray!! ^_^ Please enjoy the photos and videos below: A group of musicians waiting to move forward along the parade route:  Dancers strike a pose:  Below, is a video of a group of (mostly) male dancers showing their frenzied Awa Odori style:  The  Awa Odori  dance has 3 unique points: 1. Women wear kimono and a special "half-moon" shaped straw hat, called an  amigasa  (literally, "a rain umbrella") 2. Male dancers usually carry lanterns or fans while dancing. 3. Musicians follow the dancers and consist of...

Every June 21, in my small town, there is a special festival to celebrate the arrival of Equinox. Several hundred candles are lit to increase awareness of eco-friendly energy saving methods before the hot summer months arrive. I took lots of photos from this year's event; please enjoy! Children from schools in the area created these wonderful, handmade paper lanterns. Each boxed lantern contained a picture(s), with some kind of message or poem on it. Impressive artwork. Smaller children decorated recycled glass using permanent markers. As the sun set, several children lit candles inside each glass to create a tower of light.  Glass art -- great at home project!  A large park played host to this event. Visitors followed a walking path; each side of the walk was decorated with the paper lanterns. As I strolled in the cool summer air, I snapped photos of the lanterns which impressed me most.  Festival dancers, sunflowers and lobsters. Mascots are q...

An 8-day cruise in the Middle East continues.  To review previous installments of "Arabian Daze", please visit   THIS PAGE .  In the last post, the author visited the falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi.  During the tour of the falcon hospital, we had a great guide, but it turned out she was extremely afraid of the falcons. As I was traveling alone in the tour, the guide and I agreed to swap cameras and take each other's photos. I got a hilarious reaction from her: Right: a falcon is fed meat The doctor escorted our group outside to view more of the hospital grounds. We learned falcons are kept here by their owners in something like a 'pet hotel' service provided by the hospital. Falcons are welcome to board for months at a time. They are monitored, fed, and exercised often. Inside the visitor's center, I could get a souvenir photo of myself wearing traditional Arabian dress, holding a falcon. Yay!  Top: hospital grounds / falcons rest inside a c...

Back in late February of this year, a friend and I traveled to the U.A.E and Oman for an 8 day adventure aboard the cruise ship, Costa Fortuna. It's been a while since I updated the 'Arabian Daze' series on this trip; today, we'll play catch up. You can review the series (1~16) below: Arabian Daze 1   2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10     11     12     13     14     15     16 In the Middle East, many rich Arabs keep falcons as pets, training them to hunt small desert critters. The local airline, Ethiad, even allows these beautiful birds inside the cabin with their owners, when they must travel to Saudia Arabia or other countries ( source ).  So loved are these birds in Arabia, there is a hospital which treats falcons -- the only one of its kind in the world -- in Abu Dhabi. At this port, I joined a tour...

At the end of May, I received an invitation to attend a special luncheon in Tokyo hosted by the Canadian Ambassador's wife. As a member of the Canadian social group, Canadian Women in Japan, I was able to enjoy this event with about twenty other ladies. When I arrived at the embassy, I had to give my name to the security guards at the main gate. They actually had "a list" and checked for my name.  My first VIP experience = priceless. ^_^ I had never been to this yearly event before, so when I asked a groundskeeper for directions to "Marler House" I was expecting a small cottage. This was the actual place:  Whoa! @_@ Marler House is the official residence to the Canadian Ambassador to Japan Marler House was designed by Kenneth G.Rea and Antonin Raymond. According to an information pamphlet, the building is in a neo-classical style. The main dining hall, in which we held our luncheon, can seat up to 34 guests. My seat placing looked like this; I wa...

Back in May, a hiking friend invited me to a special exhibition featuring Japanese flower arrangements, called ikebana.  Photography was prohibited in the exhibition space;  however, I was able to snap shots of the host building, Meguro Gajoen. Tucked in one of Tokyo's best districts, Meguro Gajoen houses a hotel, conference rooms, restaurants and the most beautiful toilet I have ever seen. Please enjoy the photos! Outside garden area with seating for tea: Inside, you can find a large torii (gate) flanked by a mikoshi (a portable shrine): Meguro Gajoen is immense; a huge glass atrium holds two restaurants -- one for light lunches and teas, the other, a traditional Japanese house which serves course meals called kaiseki riyori . (see photo above) My friend, who is a former ikebana teacher, encouraged me to explore the outside gardens. We encountered a delicate waterfall and hiking trail -- all in the center of Tokyo! As mentioned earlier, Meguro Gajoen's bes...

A friend of mine from Nagoya moved to Shizuoka prefecture (Japan) a few months ago. I waited until she had gotten settled in before heading over for a visit. I took several local trains, changing here and there to Shimizu city; the total travel time was about 3 hours. The university in which my friend works, is very close to a recently declared World Heritage site -- Miho no Matsubara -- famous for its pine trees and view of Mount Fuji. Sloping stairs leading down from the pine forest and beach:  Inside the pine forest.  According to the tourist office, there are over 54,000 pine trees here: Miho no Matsubara attracts all the tourists, but it was this shore-hugging road, along Miho beach, which should be explored. To find it, at the Miho no Matsubara pine tree, go out onto the beach and turn right. Walk along the beach until you see the road emerge on your right. The Miho beach road, completely uninhabited...even on a Saturday!  Near the end of ...

In mid April, a friend, who had been watching my hikes on the blog, asked if we could go for a hike together. The area we chose was near Isehara city, in Kanagawa -- Hinata Yakushi hiking area. We began the trail near Ooyama, hiking in a reverse loop. Please enjoy the photos! The area is accessible by bus from Hon Atsugi station, on the Odakyu line, so it's convenient for those living in the Kanto area. Trails are very well marked and maps were seen at trail heads. If you bring your car, there is free parking, vending machines and clean toilets available before starting your hike. Trail head, map with approximate hiking times,  the trail follows a large stream:  At the top of the above trail is an old temple, which is currently being rebuilt. I didn't take any photos, but if you are interested in seeing temple re-constructions, this trail will allow you to see construction work taking place. After the temple, you can follow the trail to Ooyama, or turn left, followi...