Moscow, End of the Line
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. Travelling across the entire length of Russian, through Siberia to Moscow, end of the line for me.
The one thing travelling has taught me is ditch any preconceived ideas you might have. I was slightly apprehensive about visiting Moscow, my money belt was tightly fixed to my body and I wondered whether it would be safe to walk out at night alone. It was completely safe and I found people went out of their way to help. Only this morning I was studying a street map and an older gentleman asked if he could help and yesterday a young man gave up his seat for me on the Metro, such courtesy.
The 2 things that will stick in my memory of Moscow are it’s churches and the Metro.
On Sunday I went to a Russian Orthodox church service, a small church called the Nativity of Putinki. Painted white on the outside with bright azure blue domes and golden spires, such a picture up against the blue skies of Moscow. It was also ornate inside, real candles flickering everywhere. This would be seen as too much of a fire hazard at home.
The gold icon paintings, the mosaics, the priest all in white proudly wearing his tall hat, but best of all the Russian male singers, so uplifting. The congregation stood throughout the service and all the women wore headscarves. I felt bare and decided to put on my sunhat, my own way of showing respect. I had no way of following the service which was all in Russian but when I left the church at the end of the service, I felt a sense of peace.
And now for the Metro. I went on a tour with 36 other people, guided by a young Siberian women whose enthusiasm for the Moscow Metro was contagious. She took us to 7 of the best, the art deco designs, the gold ceiling mosaics, depicting the might of Russia, the stained glass murals, the marble tiles, the 36 pairs of larger than life bronze statue which are lucky if you touch certain parts like the dogs nose, the lady’s breast, just take your breath away. The Metro is clean, and efficient too, the trains run every 2 minutes and the most impressive thing is that there are no fare zones so you can travel anywhere for 55 roubles that’s just £0.70. The lines run from 5.30 am till 1.00 am. I know I didn’t travel late at night but whenever I boarded a train I felt safe. Russian people are proud of their underground railway and I can see why. I learnt a bit of history too, when Khrushchev came to power, he made sure that all references to Stalin were removed from the stations and all images were either covered over or replaced with Lenin’s face. The process was known as De-Stalinization.
But the most practical tip from our guide which I put to good use as I muddled my way around Moscow was how to tell if you were going in the right direction, you hear on the tanoy a male voice going into the centre of Moscow and a woman’s voice if you’re coming from the centre.
I’ve now been travelling for 59 ½ days and it’s time to go home. Tomorrow I’ll fly back into Heathrow and pick up my life again.
It won’t be the same life, you don’t make this journey to the other side of the world without growing and developing an inner strength. Goodness knows I’ll need new resources as I face the rest of 2017.
Thank you Steve for being with me on this journey, you’ll always be my muse, my inspiration, my love.
#MyPrelovedLife
August 2017
My Beijing Life
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. Cycling in Beijing, close to the Forbidden City and climbing the Great Wall of China
I learnt so much about Shanghai from my Chinese friends but in Beijing I stayed with an English family and met lots of ex-pats from all over the world. This gave me a different perspective on Chinese life. Several women described the unreliable taxi drivers in Beijing who will often refuse to pick up or collect you if they don’t understand you.
For that reason I decided to book my own driver for my last 3 days in Beijing and it was such a good decision because I met Tom Dong, originally from Harpin. What an amazing guy full of stories of his life and family and great suggestions of places to visit.
Tom took me to the Great Wall of China, we left Beijing early at 7.30 am, for a 90 minute drive to Mutianyu. As we were approaching the wall it started to rain and visibility was poor. It didn’t matter because walking the wall for one hour one way and another hour back was an experience I’ll always remember despite the limited views, in fact the mist created its own surreal special atmosphere.
Tom, the perfect guide, bought my tickets, took me up in the cable car, photographed me ( the following day he presented me with a mirror frame photo of us both on the wall) one of my favourite pictures on my 60 day trip.
Just like my life now, I was on my own to walk the wall. It was harder than I’d expected so many steps to the towers and the walls themselves are not straight so you have to compensate for the slopes. Such a very humid, misty, rainy hot day but fortunately not too many people. I met a Chinese family who wanted to photograph me with their 2 children. From basic English I learnt that the dad owns a phone case manufacturing company and that business is not too good right now.
I love making contact with people.I noticed the interesting fauna on the walls, an unusual millipede and a beautiful black and pink moth too.
I was so glad I’ve experienced the Great Wall of China, so big that if you stretched it out you join New York to Los Angeles. As I came off the wall, I read a sign which said “ One who fails to reach the Great Wall is no hero” and later I saw an old photograph of David Cameron holding that same sign. So I join a growing band of world figureheads.
I had so many strange experiences in Beijing, a old musician played his oboe to me while I sang Auld Lang Syne in a park next to the Forbidden City, I forged friendships with 2 girls from South Africa who insisted I pay them a visit next year, I haggled in the Pearl Market and bought a pair of colourful “silk” pyjamas for £40 instead of £120, they turned out to be polyester! I do love them and will where them on the Trans-Siberian train. I went to the Beijing night food market and saw fried, scorpions, spiders, snakes, octopus, baby birds and lots more unidentifiable things. I played it safe and bought some deep fried cheese and nut brittle to take on the train to Russia.
But I guess the most incredible experience was the bicycle tour around the Hutongs with Clemance. Over 4 hours we cycled down narrow alleys full of scooters, people and bikes, not being a very good cyclist, I wobbled a lot. We went inside a hutong too, incredible small buildings with no toilets or showers, people have to visit the Public Toilets when they need the bathroom. People live most of the time in the streets playing majong, eating and chatting together. Loneliness doesn’t exist here like it does in the West.
Imagine crossing a motorway with 14 lanes of traffic and turning left into the road that runs parallel with Tienanmen Square, well that’s what our group of 8 cyclists did. I’ll never forget that feeling of exhilaration and down right panic as Clemance said stick closely to me. We all survived but one of our group was knocked off her bike by a scooter driving too close. She was OK and more worried that the Peking Duck she’d just bought from a street vendor that was now spread over the road.
I enjoyed the ex pat experience of Beijing but more than that I enjoyed spending time with Tom Dong especially as he introduced me to Beijing’s one and only Second Hand Charity organisation called Roundabout.
#MyPrelovedLife
July 2017
All At Sea
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. Sailing from Osaka through the inland Japanese sea to Shanghai was wonderfully cathartic
My Home for the Next 3 Days
Taking a boat trip, especially when there’s only a few dozen passengers on board, is like going on a meditation retreat. You have so much time to yourself but if you want company it’s there.
I don’t have all the statistics about the Xinjianzhen, it’s a ferry boat operated by the China-Japan International Ferry Co Ltd. All I know is that I’m in Special Class on the top deck, I have my own cabin with a shower and toilet. When I saw my living quarters I was so very happy and in this space I’ve finished writing my blogs and brought my journal up to date, almost full now. Thanks Lyn Clarke for your special gift.
Leaving Osaka was sad, Lyle took me to the ferry terminal before flying off on holiday with Sumire to Okinawa, the Japanese version of Hawaii, only better I’m sure! 😉
We waved vigorously, I cried a bit, we smiled and blew kisses as the ship sailed out of the harbour. For the next few hours I contemplated my situation sailing to China, I shed lots of tears because Steve and I were supposed to take this ferry together. I remember he told me about all the tiny islands around Japan and I was blown away by the beauty of the views that were all around me..
It was warm, no hot it was hot with a beautiful breeze, the inland waters were calm, the sun set was breath-taking. It just wasn’t possible to feel sorry for myself for long surrounded by all this beauty.
And then I met Nobuhisa who only happens to be a Baptist lay preacher. A Japanese man heading to China for an 8 day trip to Harpin. He’d lost his wife to cancer 2 years ago and although he didn’t speak a huge amount of English, we shared a similar path. We spent many hours just sitting, watching the waves, trying to spot flying fish ( I saw 2) looking up at the shooting stars, while he quietly sang Japanese songs to me. So sweet.
During the day it was too hot to spend long periods on deck but sitting in the sun being bathed by the hot wind whilst watching other boats go by was very therapeutic, and of course there’s regular calls for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first lunch I sat alone and struggled to order from the menu but after that I shared a table with Nobuhisa and a few beers too. He told me he enjoyed a bottle of Kirin, the 5% Japanese beer and wasn’t keen on the weaker Chinese beer, only 3%. I was so moved when he sang a Japanese hymn to me to the tune of Danny Boy.
On the second day we’d left the inland Japanese sea with all its islands and impressive bridges and we were now truly at sea, the East China sea and it got a bit choppy. I never felt really sick and if the rocking got too strong, I just imagined I was swinging in my hammock in the garden and that helped.
The people you meet on board ship, a young Australian couple who live in China but had to travel to Japan to get their visas renewed. They live in the heart of the Chinese countryside where they’re learning Kung Fu, I had an invite to go visit them and then I met Shenrong and her 4 year old daughter, her special gift because she didn’t think she’d be able to have any children. On the first day, she could see I was upset, I told her about my husband and she hugged me, we’d hardly spoken but she showed so much kindness and compassion. During my travels I’ve held onto the idea from Jane Murray’s Peacebeams, when you look at people say “Just Like Me” This is so true
So what do a people do for entertainment onboard a ferry? They sing Karaoke at the bar. On the first night, I asked for Hey Jude and belted out the song without embarrassment. The next night my 2 new friends joined me. Shenrong told me that Chinese people believe that singing is good for the health and even the TV screens tell you how many calories you’ve burnt with each song. We laughed and enjoyed each others company. I wish I could speak more languages, crazy having to rely on people to speak English.
I only have a few hours now before arriving in Shanghai, I plan to pack and go on deck as we draw closer to the city. I’m sure China is going to be completely mind-blowing experience but I’m ready. The crossing has been cathartic.
#MyPrelovedLife
July 2017
Miyajima, The Most Photogenic Place on Earth
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. Visiting the magical temple of Miyajima
The day after our peace park trip, we took a 30 minute boat trip to Miyajima, picking up the ferry from the hotel jetty. Miyajama is one of the most beautiful Shinto shrines in the world because of the bright vermillion coloured torii that rises out of the sea. The shrine itself appears to float on the water and because it was high tide I was able to take some awesome photographs.
While we were giving thanks at the Prayer Hall, we witnessed a Shinto wedding, the beautiful bride all in white and looking like an film extra from Star Wars, the sake drinking, the hand maidens, the drumming, the haunting flute all captivated us and despite the searing heat, Lyle and I watched the whole 30 minute ceremony. We were enchanted.
We spent 7 ½ hours on the island, photographing the deer, so tame and everywhere, they even stand patiently outside shops waiting for them to open. I bought some deer poop flavoured ice-cream too. It was nice, little brown pellets of chocolate covered crunchy biscuit balls.
After visiting the shrine, watching the wedding and tucking into cold udon noodles dipped in soy sauce with ginger and chopped onions we took the Sky Rope cable car ride up to the top of Mount Misen, 535 metres high.
The first car took a maximum of 6 people and was like an oven, lasting 10 minutes, I felt sick. The next car to the summit took 30 people and wasn’t quite so claustrophic despite being packed with people. The views over the bay were spectacular, even though it was hazy,
We were expecting it to be breezy and slightly cooler at the top, if anything it was hotter. I backed out of the 1 hour circular summit walk and went to the café for a cold drink, leaving Lyle to explore.
On the way back to the cable cars, the air was full of the sound of crickets and birds and we saw hornets buzzing around. It was at this point we thought our sticky ice cold peach flavoured shaved ice might not be such a good idea.
After the quickest exit off the mountain, I bought a hat from a Japanese lady who was the spitting image of Joanna Lumley. I love it in Japan when the shop keepers reward you by offering you ice-cold water.
The only thing we didn’t have time to do was visit the cat café. JoJo, my friend back home would love this place. Over a coffee you get to interact with the cats that wander freely. I guess if you give them treats you’ll get even more cat visits. Next time I visit Japan, I’ll go visit one.
#MyPrelovedLife
July 2017
My Pilgrimage to Hiroshima
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. Visiting the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima
2 years ago Steve visited Hiroshima, he was impressed with how the city has been totally rebuilt after the bombing, he also told me he was moved to tears by the Peace Museum. Steve had planned to take me there this year and I’m so grateful that Lyle organised a 4 day trip to Hiroshima for us in his memory.
In just over 4 hours the super-fast bullet train from Tokyo arrived at Hiroshima. Our hotel had such lovely views across the bay. What impressed me the most from our 16th floor room was the tiny peaked mountain island in the bay, so very Japanese and the boats gliding across the misty calm waters, so relaxing to watch.
From our room we could also see the hotel swimming pool which I was banned from using because of my tattoos, I offered to cover them but the hotel receptionist refused to give me a pool pass. Never mind, I went to the hotel’s onsen instead that very night and covered my tattoos with 3 plasters. I don’t think anyone noticed, it was 11.00 pm not many people were taking an onsen. The idea behind an onsen, or public bathing, is that you wash yourself thoroughly over a low sink, sitting on a small stool and when you’re completing clean, you bath in a communal pool. One of the pools was outside and at midnight with the air temperatures still at 27 degrees, it’s quite an experience, soft brown lighting illuminating the waters. Such a relaxing thing to do after an incredibly busy day.
There are so many things to see at the Peace Memorial Park, the Peace Gates, enshrined with the words PEACE in 47 languages, the Peace Flame that will burn until all nuclear weapons are abolished, the Children’s Peace Monument with the statue of Sasaki Sadako lifting up a folded paper crane. She believed that if she folded 1000 cranes she would cure herself of the effects of radiation, sadly she died before she finished making the cranes. As a sign of respect, every day people bring paper cranes from all over Japan and the rest of the world to this monument, I brought one too.
But the place where I cried was the Peace Memorial Museum, I felt so upset, I had to leave the exhibition, compose myself and return. It was the stories written in the children’s diaries that touched me. One particular page came from a young girl who described the chores she’d carried out that morning, sweeping, looking after her brother, her page was decorated with flowers and patterns she’d drawn. So full of promise. And yes, there were children’s and baby clothes on display covered in blood and sometimes streaked with the black radiated rain that fell from the skies after the initial blast.
So many lives destroyed instantly but the accounts of the injuries and the suffering that continued long after the bomb was detonated were difficult to read. The exhibition was full of hard facts about the science of nuclear weapons too. There was also a display highlighting the peace treaties and plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons by 2020. Not sure how likely that’s going to be, especially with the news from North Korea this week about their nuclear tests.
What do you do after spending 2 hours at the Peace Memorial Park? It’s a tough one, our mood was flat but we were both hungry and thankfully we stumbled upon Hondori, an area I’m certain Steve visited, ordered ice cold beers and enjoyed a plate full of fried tempura.
#MyPrelovedLife
July 2017
Shinto Mountain High
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. My third country, Japan, Tokyo, exploring Shinto Temples
What a weekend, such a special time with Sumire’s parents, Yuko and Takehiko.
We left the heat of Tokyo and travelled by train to Sumire’s home town, Ashikaga, famous for its Spring time Flower Festival. They have a lovely house, full of art, much of it painted by Takehiko who’s an art lecturer at one of the top Tokyo universities. It wasn’t long before Lyle and Sumire were playing on Yuko’s beautiful family Yamaha piano.
That first night we cooked food together, shared music and got to know each other. The next day we drove up high up into the mountains. The air temperature was a refreshing 25 degrees, so very green and tranquil.
Lots of people were visiting Nikko’s famous shrine, one of the most ornate in Japan, decorated with gold leaf but Takehiko took us to a place away from the crowds where we could enjoy nature’s beauty, the majestic pine trees, streams and smaller shrines. I found this quote and think it explains the essence of this place.
Shinto, Japan’s traditional religion was born from an existing primitive form of religion that worshipped nature. The ancient people of Japan honoured sacred spirits that they recognised in nature, manifesting in mountains, rocks, rivers and trees.
At the entrance to one shrine, the Japanese gate or Torii had a hole in the centre. If you can throw a stone through the middle it will bring you good fortune. I was determined and after lots of attempts the silence was shattered with my cries of delight.
Later on we went onto the main temple full of colour, gold and riches but my heart remained in that quieter place that I know Steve would have loved so much.
Over that weekend in the mountains we did so many wonderful things, we stayed in an Onsen Resort at Kai Kawaji, had the most incredible 7 course meal, enjoyed a communal foot onsen, soaked our tired feet in the hottest water from the nearby hot springs. During our stay, we lit paper sparklers at night, we ground beans to coat mochi or gooey rice cakes, we bathed outside at midnight in rock pools, Japanese onsens are strictly unisex. After our relaxing onsen we fell onto the most comfortable low bed on a raised platform for the deepest sleep ever.
And if that experience wasn’t enough, the next day we piled into canoe boats big enough for 30 people and rode the rapids for 40 minutes down the river with our oarsman guiding us through the river gorge. It was hot, very hot but at times we were allowed to dangle our arms in the water. I wish I’d brought my water proof fan that Lyle and Sumire had bought me.
We staggered out of the river canoe boats, up a huge flight of steps and at the top we were greeted by vendors selling all kinds of treats, sardines baking over hot coals but my favourite was the shaved ice sweetened with matcha tea, lemon and peach syrup, so refreshing.
I had an amazing time in the mountains, totally organised and paid for by the Kikuchi family. How do you repay such kindness? Impossible. I feel so honoured to have spent quality time with such a lovely family.
#MyPrelovedLife
July 2017
My Japanese Life
This series of blogs was written in the Summer of 2017, I wanted to bring them into MyPrelovedLife to remind me of the wonderful adventures I had travelling 20,000 miles around the world, feeling safe and loved by so many people. Japan was my third country
Lyle and Sumire live on the 11th floor of an apartment block at the end of the Nambuko metro line. When I arrived late Sunday evening I was just too tired to appreciate the convenience of their location, just a 5 minute walk to Shimo Station where they can both take the fast metro line into the centre of Tokyo to work.
Lyle’s previous commute involved the Ginza line where the train guards literally push passengers onto the train, it’s that crowded.
The next morning I was left to my own devices as both my hosts had to go to work. I enjoyed exploring their space, which is small so being tidy is essential. It’s no wonder Marie Kondo’s best selling title, the Magic of Tidying was so successful here in Japan.
I was most impressed with their gadgets including their washing machine which weighs your clothes before telling you how much washing liquid to use. Sumire hangs the washing on circular hangers, fascinating to watch them spin around and with the air temperature right now in Tokyo at 32 degrees, clothes dry fast. I also loved their wall mounted screen so when someone rings the door bell, you can see the visitor on the mini TV and even talk to them!
On the ground floor, close to where people park their bikes is the waste room. So organised, huge bins, one for plastic, one for bottles, one for burnable rubbish. So tidy, no smell and spotlessly clean. Just like my impression of Japan.
That first day I decided visit one of Tokyo’s famous gardens, Rikugien. I could see the high walls of the park but couldn’t work out how to get in. I had to walk the perimeter of the garden’s high wall to find the way in but I was determined. It was on this walk that the Japanese mosquitoes found me and took great delight in feasting on Welsh blood. The Azeri and Dubai bugs weren’t interested but here in Tokyo, the insects were super excited. I really couldn’t believe it especially as I wasn’t near any water. But thank goodness for the station pharmacist who with just sign language and the word mosquito, sold me some mosquito patches to ease the pain and itchiness. They worked like a miracle, I wore them for 4 days and had none of the discomfort I normally get from insect bites.
I’ve really enjoyed my first week in Japan. I’ve been cooking meals for Lyle and Sumire so they can relax when they get home from work. I’ve only had a few disasters, like buying what I thought was coconut milk for a Thai curry which turned out to be a can of weird cubes of transparent chewy coconut jelly! And being sold sparkling water when I’d asked for tonic.
My mistakes are the best bit of my Japanese life.
Sayonara for now.
#MyPrelovedLife
July 2017
My Preloved Life Blog
My husband died 2 years ago, it was an incredible 46 year romance and getting over his death was a challenge. This blog is all about how I dealt with his death, the strategies I used, the tools I discovered, the opportunities I embraced and the new preloved life I have built. My Blog is divided into Beginnings, Helped Me, Solo Life. and Sixty Days.
Imagine getting a call from ITV News saying they’d run to interview you about your Airbnb experiences. I was happy to help, Airbnb has certainly played a big part in my life helping to overcome loneliness and filling my home with light. This is the story of what happened