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Well, I'm finally back in good 'ol Sydney town and I'm happy to say it's still my favourite city. You can find a selection of my holiday photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/TheMurraysAustralia/HolidaySnaps

I'll keep the blog going, but only for big events, so don't expect it to be updated every day or even every week.

Thanks to whoever read this thing while I was away, and particularly to those who left comments. It's always nice to know someone's on the other side :)

Cam

Fanta Grape!

Akihabara is awesome - full of amazing electronic stores (going to upgrade my camera in a minute) and girls dressed as maids touting 'maid cafes', which are basically just themed eateries (maybe later today, AW!). Yesterday, I went into the centre of Tokyo, did a bus tour around the Imperial Palace and then headed to the ultra-trendy neighbourhoods of Harajuku and Shibuya. For those who don't know, I'm staying in a capsule hotel. The best way I can describe it is camping indoors. The actual capsules are surprisingly spacious, but the walls are thin so you hear every sneeze and snore. Oh, yeah - Fanta Grape. When I moved from SA to Oz 12 years ago, I was shocked and dismayed one of my all-time favourite beverages wasn't available. I even contacted Coca-Cola and asked them for an explanation. But Fanta Grape LIVES here in Tokyo! I'm liking this place more and more...

Turning Japanese

Greetings from rainy Narita, Japan!
A lot's happened since my last post, but I don't have much Internet time, so here are the highlights...
After Brittany, I got two trains to Cognac (took ALL DAY!). I did a private tour of Hennessy and the lesser-known Otard, which is housed in an ancient castle that was once the home of French king Francois I. Both tours were fantastic and after six cognacs, I thought pretty much everything else in the quaint town was fantastic.
After returning to London on the Eurostar, I went to the British Museum on Friday and I think it might be the best museum I've ever visited. It has such a wide variety of stuff. My favourites included their extensive Egyptian collection, medieval Europe collection and their "Enlightenment" section, which comprises a bunch of kooky gear collected by various nutjobs in the 19th century.
Two minutes left...
I visited the temples of Narita yesterday and now I`m off to Tokyo on the train. Hello capsule hotel!