Mark and Tanya's vacation blahg

Wild beasts of our apartment

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More animals: not all cute

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owl
orang utan
fish of the Amazon

Cute animals at the zoo

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River otter
capybara
prairie dog

Pandas in action!

2006-04-20T19:32:00.000-04:00

Mom and I hit the National Zoo today, primarily to see the pandas. Didn't get to see Tai Shan, the baby, but we caught the other two in action. Sorry for the noise on the videos, but there was construction to build a new habitat.
Video 1 - 320x240 .wmv
Video 2 - 320x240 .wmv

Boyd's Bear Country

2006-04-19T19:22:00.000-04:00

We visited Boyd's Bear Country on the way back from QVC. Mom collects the little bears so she stocked up.
This is a statue of the guy who founded Boyd's Bears. Mom likes the little bears he made. I respect him for his use of pen and tablet.

Mom's Graceland

2006-04-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Yep, mom made it to her "Graceland", aka the QVC studios in Pennsylvania. Here are her reactions on video.

How do feel about being here?
320x240 .wmv

Mom's reaction to the tour
640x480 .wmv
320x240 .wmv

War Memorials

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Vietnam War Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Nurses of the Vietnam War

From the reflecting pool

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Self-reflection at the Korean War Memorial

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Reflecting on myself at the Korean War Memorial

She shoots...

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Here's mom trying to take the shot...
And here's what she gets...

It's all about Hawaii

2006-04-18T22:32:00.000-04:00

Of course, we are always on the lookout for things that remind us of home. Here's what we found...
At the World War II memorial, the different states are recognized for their contributions.
One of a few mentions of Hawaii at the American Indian Museum. This at the section showing contemporary events dealing with indigenous people.
This rock is supposed to be from Hawaii, marking the western corner of the American Indian Museum (even though the museum is designed without corners). No marker, but we're pretty sure it is.

It's all about mom

2006-04-18T22:22:00.000-04:00

Nothing but shots of mom at different places. Tanya thought they should standalone (i.e., no scribbles). Enjoy!
Here she is out in front of the Capitol. We had intended to take a tour, but mom wasn't really interested.
Mom walking through old town Alexandria yesterday.
Looking serious at the World War II memorial in front of a spot that reminds her of work.
Mom with tulips in DC. Lot of things blooming around the capitol, although she was late for prime cherry blossom.
A different angle of at the WWII memorial.

Mom eating tempura

2006-04-17T23:06:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I'm sure we've all seen mom eating tempura before, but this is the first time we've seen it at Konami, a Japanese restaurant in Tyson's Corner.

Me enjoying my last seafood for fifty years...

2006-04-17T23:01:00.000-04:00

I'm basically giving up seafood for fifty years. Not for environmental reasons really, but to better my chances of being able to enjoy seafood after I'm old and grey. Read about my "50-Year Fish Boycott" here.

Me on a log

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Title's pretty self-explanatory, but this is me on a log in the park in Alexandria.

Red Robin

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We spent way too much time trying to get a shot of this bird.

Mom in Alexandria

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My sushi birthday lunch

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Feast your eyes on the last seafood I will eat for the next fifty years...
Shrimp Shumai
Assorted sushi (after I had already finished most of it)
My dessert of scallop, octopus, and salmon skin roll

Cutting the grass

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Click on the photo for a close-up of the sign. It's important for the joke.

Mom and Gal at the Georgetown Flea Market

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Yeah, there's a porta-potty in the background but otherwise it's a good shot.

Mom made it up the Exorcist steps.

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(well, not really, but it looks good.)

Self-portraits

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Mom with the Halls

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Mom met Lisa's parents today. My mom sort of looked out for our friend Lisa when she went to school in Hawaii. Her parents are very grateful and finally got to tell her in person today.

Mom's 2006 visit: Day One

2006-04-15T20:13:00.000-04:00

Mom's in town and her first stop was London, England where she had to use the phone. Actually this was at the Hunter's Head pub where we had an early dinner. Good authentic British pub fare.

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Boys on Boy's Day

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Mark @ Mark City Day

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Tokyo Tower at Night

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One-handed game controller

Leaving Hawaii

2005-05-05T18:00:00.000-04:00

[Mark] Well, due to connection issues, this is not the most update blog. But that's okay. There is still plenty to say about the trip and plenty of pictures to post. We will just have more time to organize our thoughts now.

Earth Tower

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At the government building

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Amino Value

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Skeleton of the earliest known human

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Nagoya Castle

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Japan Government Buildings are twins.

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Robot Red, Robot Blue

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Babysitting Robots

Small snag in blog

2005-05-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

[Mark] As those of you keeping track may have noticed, there is a bit of a lag between entries in Hawaii and entries in Japan. And by “a bit” I mean about three days. I did not expect to get a signal with my T-Mobile wireless card. However, when I researched the hotels, it looked like the first hotel did have access. Turns out the Chisun hotel in Nagoya is not the only one. I did not know we were at Chisun Sakae and this one did not have access.

The second hotel, Le Meridien Pacific Tokyo, is much nicer and newer. However, high-speed Internet is limited to the business center, and perhaps the pricier rooms. Thus, the postings will continue to be sporadic, but at least I will have them posted before the trip is over.

And no worries about missing any posts. I have been saving journal entries to the hard drive, so you'll find them all here – all at once. And there are plenty of pictures. Blog times and dates are inaccurate and I don't feel like updating them, but everything is in order and a few are dated. Enjoy.

Handwritten Notes

2005-05-01T21:31:00.001-04:00

Handwritten Notes. will organize later
http://markandtanya.us/Shinkansen.tif
http://markandtanya.us/Transformers.tif
http://markandtanya.us/Morning3.tif
http://markandtanya.us/AichiExpo1.tif
http://markandtanya.us/AichiExpo2.tif
http://markandtanya.us/AichiExpo3.tif

Us at Nagoya Castle

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View from Nagoya Castle

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Filming deer in the moat

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Deer in moat around Nagoya Castle

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Dark Continent

2005-05-01T21:25:00.001-04:00

[Mark] The Africa exhibits are very interesting. They seem very interested in strutting their stuff, probably because they don't have that much to show off. The most unique item on display was the skeleton of Lucy, the oldest known and recovered human ancestor skeleton. I knew it was very fragmented but I was expecting more for some reason.

See Rick Fly

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Go Rick Go!

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Go!

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Ready to Fly?

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Jar Jar's Evil Twin

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Cuban Cigars

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For Zach

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US Concept Car

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Standing in line

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Real Robots!

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USA Exhibit - Prepare for Propaganda

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Walk, Walk, Walk

2005-05-01T21:21:00.000-04:00

[Mark] Rick is doing a great job of navigating us around the Expo. (He likes being the leader.) Good thing too. There's so much ground to cover that we need to conserve our footsteps.

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Expo Day One

2005-05-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

[Mark] Lot of walking but also a lot of robots. No need for details. Took plenty of pictures. I'll let them do the talking.

I love the nightlife

2005-05-01T20:41:00.000-04:00

[Mark] Even though we had a good meal and snacks on the plane, we were hungry when we got to the hotel. Thought it would be fun to jaunt around the area, see what eateries were nearby. Plenty of different places, but we had some considerations. My mom and I are pretty flexible about food. I am restricted since I don't eat meat aside from seafood, but that's not a big problem in Japan. Tanya is vegetarian, which looks like it will limit her to side dishes, except at fancy restaurants. Rick can eat anything. Problem is he doesn't like everything. He was intent on finding a sushi place, which, surprisingly, we could not find.

Wound up going down a few side streets looking for some small place to eat. Followed the bright lights hoping they would lead somewhere. After a while though, I noticed there were quite a few signs that reminded me of places not typically associated with food. Also noticed a lot of businessmen in suits. Lot of clubs. Then there were the signs showcasing women in bikinis. We started to circle back after that.

We settled on a rice bowl place just down the street from the hotel. Really fast. I think they just scoop rice in the bowl and toss the food on top. Rick had hamburger curry and it was out in three minutes. Same with Tanya's soup and salad. My mom and I had maguro. Almost like a sushi bowl.

Chisun Hotel Nagoya Sakae

2005-05-01T20:40:00.002-04:00

[Mark] The hotel is an older one. Rotary phone. Shower head is connected to the sink. Control panel for the lights looks like something out of the '70's. The key is attached to a long rectangular piece of plastic that drops into a slot at the door and acts like a key for the room electrical system. The power goes on when it's dropped in and turns off when you remove it, so no leaving the lights on when we leave. Also means we can't leave the AC on. :(

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Made it to Nagoya

2005-05-01T20:38:00.000-04:00

Mark] We touched down about an hour late. Our contact had to wait until after we landed to buy tickets for the bus. Not crowded though. Ride to the hotel was about 40 minutes. Would have been scenic but the sun had already set.

More interesting after we got to Sakae. The building design and shops remind me a lot of Waikiki. Saw a lot of familiar sites, like Mos Burger and Starbucks. Bus dropped us off about a five minute walk away from the hotel.

This is the best flight I have ever taken!

2005-05-01T20:33:00.000-04:00

[Mark] We have two rows, three seats each, to ourselves. Plenty of leg room and head room. Warm towels, free headsets, snack and warm meal. Reminds me of what U.S. flights used to be like.

Meal options were chicken or rice and salmon. Tanya is a vegetarian but I eat fish so we both ordered the salmon and split up the food. Fortunately, Japanese meals come with lots of little vegetable sides, so Tanya had plenty to eat. This flight is great!

2005-04-25T19:39:00.000-04:00

At the airport to Japan

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Almost on our way. Sitting in the airport now, will be boarding in an hour. Pre-vacation show will be over soon. Main event coming up.

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My dad's 60th birthday dinner

Eve of the trip

2005-04-25T02:31:00.000-04:00

Dual purpose dinner - Happy birthday dad and bon voyage vacationers.

Made it home

2005-04-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

My mom rolled up not five minutes after we reached the pick-up point. Got cleaned up and just relaxing before we run some errands. Might need some breakfast too. - Mark

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The new Mark and Tanya blahg

2005-04-24T04:50:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Las Vegas, birthplace of the new Mark and Tanya blog. We will be boarding the plane for Hawaii shortly. Our adventure in Japan is just a few days away.