Travel – Page 4 – Willem's Planet

September 4, 2025September 4, 2025

Thursday/ Akihabara and Tokyo Station 🚆

There was drizzle on and off here in Tokyo on Thursday, at a damp 85°F (30 °C).
Outside, I could only take pictures here and there with my big camera, but managed to get a few of the iconic 1914 Tokyo Station building (extensively renovated and restored in 2012).
I also made my first run to the Yodobashi Akiba store in Akihabara.

Nice infographic from the hotel room TV. The pink blobs are Japan’s main islands. That’s Tokyo in the bottom right corner, showing that the 30 °C is down 7°C from yesterday (85 °F , down from 99 °F). Yay! .. even though it still feels very warm and humid. (And are those little characters chickens?)

This is about 9.30 am and I caught the tail end of the morning rush hour into, and out of Shinagawa station.

Office workers and a few others (me) streaming out of Shinagawa station. Walk on the sides, if you are coming into the station, said the display screen.

All right, now I’m heading down to the Yamanote Line— the loop line with Shinagawa station on it, near my hotel. This line has been in service for 140 years now (constructed 1885) and is used by some 4 million people every day. The train had left just a minute ago.

Hello, Yodobashi Akiba! It is by Akihabara station, 8 stops to the north of Shinagawa station.

The toys for kids of all ages are on the 6th floor. The bank of pink claw machines was not there two years ago when I last visited.
In Japan, claw machines are most commonly called “UFO catchers” (ユーフォーキャッチャー) or “crane games” (クレーンゲーム). The term “UFO catcher” comes from the appearance of the claw mechanism, which resembles a UFO descending to capture a prize, a term popularized by Sega when they introduced the game in 1985.
[From Wikipedia]

I bought a few of these Takara Tomy animal figures: the lion, the cheetah, a gorilla, a peacock, a shoebill stork.

Help! The shoebill stork fell down (is its bill too big and heavy?) and someone needs to come and fix the display case. The chameleon figure (bottom) has a movable tongue that can be pulled out and pushed back in. Nice. I now regret I did not get the chameleon, as well.

On the way back on the Yamanote line, I saw Tokyo Tower out of the train window by Hamamatsucho station. It seemed nearby and I stepped out and walked the five or six there— kind of regrettting it, because it started to drizzle. This green space near the Tower is called Shiba Park.

I’m standing under a Himalayan cedar, and that’s the Buddhist temple called Zojo-ji Temple.
From Wikipedia: At its peak the temple grounds had more than 120 buildings, but following the decline of Buddhism during the Meiji period (1868-1912), most of them burned down during the bombing of Tokyo in World War II. Reconstruction began after the war, with the Daiden (great hall) being rebuilt in 1974.

Here’s the Himalayan cedar. A plaque by the tree notes that General Grant (18th President of the United States) planted this tree when he visited Zojo-ji Temple as a guest in 1879 (that’s 146 years ago). The main gate to the grounds is under renovation and enclosed in a sheet metal building behind the tree.

A cemetery by the temple, presumably with ashes from the deceased. The cemetery at Zojo-ji Temple holds the mausoleums of six Tokugawa shoguns* and their families, serving as the family temple for the Tokugawa clan.
*The shogun (short for Sei-i Taishōgun, 征夷大将軍) was the supreme military and political leader of Japan, ruling for nearly 700 years. The rule of the shoguns ended in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration, which was triggered by growing internal discontent and the disruptive arrival of Western powers.

Dai-Nokotsudo, or Shariden, is where the bones of deceased are stored. It is made of stone and was created in 1933.

Here are several pictures of the Tokyo station building, taken late afternoon and early evening. Tokyo Station is surrounded by many modern glass and steel office towers.

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025

Wednesday/ arrival in Tokyo 🗼

It was a smooth and uneventful flight and we arrived 30 minutes early at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
It was a short ride (20 mins) on the Keikyu train line to get me to Shinagawa station. I had set up my transit card (Suica card) from my visit two years ago as a digital transit card in my iPhone’s wallet. That way I can tap the reader at the gate with my phone, without even needing to unlock it.

Even though it was only a 6 or 7 minute walk to the hotel from Shinagawa station’s exit, I waited for the hotel’s shuttle bus.
The heat was still oppressive at 8 o’clock— 85 °F (30 °C) and high humidity.

P.S. I turned on my eSIM phone line from global mobile data service provider Ubigi and it works great— a first for me, to use an eSIM phone line for international travel on my iPhone. So it’s farewell to the expensive international service provided by AT&T (expensive, as in 3x or 4x more expensive! Yikes).

Top to bottom:
Smoky skies over Washington State;
Flying almost due west for 10 hours across the Pacific Ocean;
Welcome signs at the exit of the arrivals hall at Haneda airport.
At the gate at Handa airport’s Terminal 3

September 2, 2025September 2, 2025

Tuesday/ at the airport 🛫

I made it out of the house and to the airport (thanks, Bryan!) and here are two pictures taken from the South Terminal at Seattle-Tacoma airport.

I am in the lounge and cannot see the gate where I’m departing out of. Hopefully the All Nippon Airlines bird has pulled up to the gate already. When I got here an hour and a half ago an Asiana Airlines flight (Korea’s No 2 airline) was just boarding.

July 30, 2025July 30, 2025

Wednesday/ left behind 🛳️

Reporter Claire Fahy writes in the New York Times about passengers from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America that were out on an excursion to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (on the island of Hawaii) when the emergency alerts for the tsunami from the earthquake began.

The bus driver turned around to take them back to the ship, but it was too late. They were still 20 minutes away when the ship departed for open waters. (During a tsunami, it is safer for ships to be at sea than in port. In port the vessel might get washed ashore with disastrous consequences).

The passengers left behind ended up sleeping on the gym floor of a local high school, or in their tour buses.

Authorities in Hawaii canceled the tsunami advisory and issued an all-clear on Wednesday morning local time. The Pride of America did return to Hilo, Hawaii, to pick up the passengers who were left behind.

Headlines and picture from the New York Times/ Alamy.

July 8, 2025July 9, 2025

Tuesday/ a successful cruise season in Cape Town 🛳️

South African newspaper Die Burger (‘The Citizen’) reports that Cape Town has had a very successful 2024/25 cruise season. A total of 83 cruise ships visited the cruise terminal at the V&A Waterfront , of which 11 were there for the first time.

The cruise terminal saw an increase of 16% in terms of passengers and crew numbers over last year. (The 2023/24 season generated US$ 67.4 million for the regional economy and supported 2,000 jobs. The numbers for 2024/25 are still being compiled).

A sign at the cruise terminal at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
[Picture from Facebook/Wesgro]

The 2024/25 cruise season in Cape Town concluded with the departure of the Crown Princess from the cruise terminal at the V&A Waterfront on June 29.
The Crown Princess is currently on a 60-day world cruise that began on May 31, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand. She is scheduled to arrive in Dover, England, on July 30, 2025.
The ship’s itinerary was adjusted last week due to stormy weather conditions around Cape Town and Walvis Bay.
As a result, her arrival in Walvis Bay, Namibia, was delayed until July 1, and she subsequently bypassed Mindelo, Cape Verde (Cabo Verde).
[Picture from Facebook/ Wesgro]

May 4, 2025May 4, 2025

Sunday/ humming along ⚡

Here’s a Hummer EV SUV that I found on the street tonight.
It made me look up the history of the Hummer, as well as a picture I had taken in Chicago of a Hummer stretch limousine.

Here it is (information gleaned from Wikipedia):
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) rolled into service in the US military in 1985, and saw widespread use in the Gulf War of 1991.
The Hummer H1 was released for the civilian market in 1992, followed by the Hummer H2 (2002-2009) and a Hummer H3 pickup truck (2005-2010). There was a Hummer HX open-air, off-road prototype concept car in 2008, and a prototype plug-in hybrid in 2009.

It was only in late 2021 that the GMC Hummer EV (badged as HEV) made its debut, though— a line of battery electric heavy-duty vehicles produced by General Motors, and sold under the GMC marque.

Here’s the GMC Hummer EV. There’s a HUMMER EV 2X (2 electric motors) and a 3X (3 electric motors) but I don’t know which one this is. I believe this color’s name is Tide Metallic. Look for H-U-M-M-E-R in the small headlights under the hood.
Hard to say exactly what this beast cost its owner, but it must be close to $100k, or even more than that.

Here’s a Hummer stretch limousine from 2005, in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
A Hummer H2 was cut behind the cab, and the chassis was extended to create a passenger section for more than a dozen passengers.
There is surely a mini-fridge inside as well, to chill a bottle of champagne, or two— right?

April 14, 2025April 14, 2025

Monday/ stamps from Japan 🇯🇵

I bought these sheets of stamps at the post office museum shop high up in Skytree tower in Tokyo in 2018.

These pages will go into my ‘World Travels’ stamp album.

January 23, 2025January 31, 2025

Thursday/ the camera has landed 📷

I left my camera behind in my hotel room in Cape Town on Monday of last week. I had it picked up at the hotel, and shipped back to me.
(Thanks for the help, Chris!)

I think this was the last straw: this camera stays home next time I go on an overseas trip.
I need a light, compact travel camera that can go into my backpack.

Here it is, the big camera with a big, heavy lens on, to boot. (Not shown in the picture is the padded camera bag that the camera was shipped in, bubble-wrapped inside the bag.
I checked the route that the camera took to get to me from Cape Town, and it looks like this:
Picked up in **Cape Town, South Africa**.
Arrived at DHL Sort Facility in **Amsterdam, The Netherlands**.
Arrived at DHL Sort Facility in **Leipzig, Germany**.
Arrived at DHL Facility **East Midlands, UK**.
Arrived at DHL Facility, **London-Heathrow, UK**.
Arrived at DHL Sort Facility, **Los Angeles Gateway, CA**.
Arrived at DHL Sort Facility, **Seattle, WA**.
Landed on **Willem’s porch**. (Landed in my hands, that is. I had to sign for it).

January 17, 2025January 31, 2025

Friday afternoon/ east, west, home best 🏡

The world traveler is home.

**Departure at Munich International Airport.**
We were bused out to the Airbus 350-900 sitting on the tarmac, so that we could clamber aboard with the stairs. Let me just stipulate that the guys wearing t-shirts may create the impression that we had summer weather out there. We did not— it was freezing!

A last look at the fuselage before I step into the warm airplane.

Making the turn onto the runway for take-off.

Halfway into the 10-hour flight, and we are over the north of the giant slab of ice called Greenland.

Somewhere over Canada, with about two hours to go to Seattle.

**Arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.**
We were international arrivals, and so we walked across the skybridge to the baggage claim and passport control, which is where I stopped to take this picture.
Our flight waited a little bit for our luggage, and then found it on the baggage claim carousel next to ours, for the flight from Frankfurt that arrived about the same time as ours. Then it was on to the Global Entry kiosk for me. There the was **no line**, and it took literally a few seconds for the face-recognition system to greenlight my entry into the United States. This way out, said an official, and that was it. So no passport stamp needed, no passport, no nothing. (Registering for Global Entry does cost $120 for a five-year membership.)

January 17, 2025January 18, 2025

Friday morning/ at the flughafen 🛫

I am at Munich International Airport, and will be heading home in just an hour or so.

It’s a 45-min train ride from central Munich to the airport. Cost €16.
I could have taken a taxi or an Uber (for €100), but the train is more fun. Our train was split in two at Neufarn station and the front part went to Freising and the back part to the airport (I was in the right part of the train!). There is a split in the train track.

Checking for my departure at the arrivals hall for train passengers .. 11h40 to Seattle, out of Terminal 2.

The view from the 6-th floor public observation deck.

January 16, 2025

Thursday/ beautiful inside 🇺

It was my last day in Munich, and I ran out to Marienplatz one more time with the streetcar.
It was just about noon, and the glockenspiel* on the townhall’s clock tower played to a smattering of on-lookers that risked getting frostbite on their fingertips as they held up their phones to record a video of it. (I was one of them).
From Marienplatz I went to a few beautiful U-bahn stations on the U1 line to take pictures.

*The Rathaus-Glockenspiel is a large mechanical clock located in Marienplatz square, in old town Munich. Famous for its life-size characters, the clock twice daily re-enacts scenes from Munich’s history.

Here is a jousting scene depicted by the glockenspiel. One of the knights was mortally injured, and falls backward on the horse.

These enormous and dramatic lamp scones are at Westfriedhof on the U1 line.

And I made this yellow one appear to sit on top of the SOS pillar.

On the far end of the U1 line is the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum station. There are huge metal studs that line the wall, creating a spaceship-futuristic look.

Nearby, and also on the U1 line, is Oberwiesenfeld station with a black and white tile pattern on the one side ..

Candidplatz on the south end of the U1 line is painted in the colors of the rainbow.

January 15, 2025January 18, 2025

Wednesday/ snow on the ground 🌨️

It started snowing at around 8 am this morning here in Munich, but it could not have been more than an inch an or so, from what I could tell.

I used the Line 19 streetcar again to get Hauptbahnhof (the main train station), and from there, ran out to Odeonsplatz and a comic book store on Fraunhoferstrasse.

The view from my hotel room (using my phone’s 5x zoom to zoom in on the Deutsche Bahn train maintenance station) at 8 this morning.

Here comes the Line 18 streetcar, at Am Lok-schuppen station.

At **Sendlinger Tor station**, I stepped off the streetcar and went underground to the U-bahn.
(The sidewalk surfaces were treacherous with the snow and ice, and there were no pedestrian crossings to speak of. Then I realized that is the other use of any U-bahn station: it’s an under passage for pedestrians to get from one side of an intersection to the other).

Here is **Odeonsplatz**, named for the former concert hall, the Odeon, on its northwestern side. The church is the Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and Adelaide (German: Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan und Adelheid)— a Roman Catholic church. It was consecrated 11 July, 1675.

Taking a closer look at the heraldic elements in the center (the lions and the white-and-blue checkered pattern is taken from the coat of arms of Bavaria).

Here is the nearby Hofgarten (Eng. ‘Courtyard garden’), established in 1613.

Back inside the **Sendlinger Tor** U-bahn station. I love the giant white saucer-shaped light fixtures.

This is a comic book store called **Comic Company** near Fraunhoferstrasse station.
I bought used three comic books for all of Є8.40. More books to weigh down my luggage but hey, I was still 10+ pounds under the weight limit with both my suitcases when I checked them in at Cape Town.

By the time I hopped off the Line 18 streetcar close to my hotel, the snow had started to melt.

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025

Tuesday/ a cold day in Munich 🥶

I put on full kit and kaboodle this morning, before venturing out in the frigid weather. I limited my excursions outside to Hauptbahnhof and Marienplatz.
(The day started at -7 °C and the high briefly reached 0°C.)

The **Line 19** street car stops almost in front of my hotel, at **Am Lok-schuppen station**.
I used it to run out the **Hauptbahnhof** (main station), and to Marienplatz. There is a ticket machine on the street car– very convenient, and only €11,10 for a Zone 3 day ticket.
There is not much of the Hauptbahnhof buildings visible from the street, because of a major construction-refurbishment project that is underway.

**Marienplatz** and its ‘new’ town hall. New is a relative term here. Marienplatz has been the city’s main square since 1158. I took this picture from inside the Hugendubel bookstore on the square.

Taking a closer look at the clock tower of the town hall.

Inside the U-bahn station by Marienplatz. This track serves the trains running on the U3 and U6 lines.

Here are the platforms at the **Münchner Freiheit** U-bahn station.

Now I’m back at Marienplatz, and the sunlight that had added a few degrees to the chilly temperatures is fading fast. So it is getting really cold again.

The iconic town towers of the **Frauenkirche** nearby Marienplatz. This church was constructed from 1468–1488.

Volt Germany is a social-liberal pro-European, eurofederalist political party in Germany.
A federal election will be held in Germany on 23 February 2025 to elect the 630 members of the 21st Bundestag.
Check out this poster.
**LET’S TAKE BACK THE FUTURE— with a strong Europe against Trump and Putin.**

Sunset here is at 4.48 pm. I have just stepped off the street car at Am Lok-schuppen station for the 3 minute walk to my hotel.

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025

Monday night/ arrival in Munich 🛬

All went well with my 11-hr flight to Munich.
It is just frightfully cold here (-5°C/ 20°F) and it made for a rough 12-minute walk from the train station to the hotel.

Stepping on board the **Airbus A350-900** Lufthansa bird at Cape Town International airport’s Terminal A.

We are about to leave the African continent that lies 41,000 ft below us— 9 hours into the 11-hour flight to Munich.

This is the **Hirschgarten** S-Bahn (regional) railway station.
I had just stepped off the train from Munich airport, a 40 minute train ride.

January 13, 2025January 14, 2025

Monday morning/ Munich bound ✈️

It was time on Monday morning to squeeze everything into my suitcases and backpack, and head for Cape Town International Airport to catch the Lufthansa flight to Munich.

Two views from my hotel room window: from sunset Sunday night, and from early Monday morning.
In the distance, the mountains are from left to right: Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill.

January 13, 2025January 14, 2025

Sunday/ in Stellenbosch 🍇

My brother and I ran out to Stellenbosch University (our alma mater) on Sunday.
We stopped at the Faculty of Engineering, at Dagbreek Men’s Residence and at the Neelsie Student Centre.

A major remodeling of the main wing of the Faculty of Engineering is underway.

The buildings for the individual departments of the Faculty of Engineering look a little different from 40 years ago, with lettering and new windows. The engineering library is now called the ‘knowledge center’ (Afr. kennissentrum). Hmm.

A little house remodeled into offices, across from the Faculty of Engineering.

Here’s Victoria Street in summer time, with the trees a neon green, and the sky azure blue. The historic dormitories of Stellenbosch University as well as administrative buildings are found here.

The tennis courts where I had spent countless hours playing on as a student, are still there, as is **Helshoogte Men’s Residence**, and **Simonsberg mountain** in the distance.

The **Neelsie Student Centre** is quiet now, but will be abuzz with students come February when the new academic year gets underway.

**Red Square*** (Afr. Rooiplein) with its sun dial.
*Officially, it is the Jan Marais Square. A long time ago, though, students jokingly started calling the Administration Building nearby the ‘Kremlin’ because the notice boards (where exam results and class marks were pinned up) would declare their fate as a students. So this is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the main city square in Moscow that is the real Red Square.

January 12, 2025January 12, 2025

Saturday/ around Mossel Bay 🏖️

It was time to drive back from Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town on Saturday.
I stopped at my uncle and aunt in Mossel Bay, and took a few pictures around downtown and the beaches.

The town of **Mossel Bay** lies on a outcrop called The Point, about 2 hours’ drive west from Plettenberg Bay. This is where Portuguese mariner and becoming the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa.
In recent years it has become a very popular destination for retirees and for younger people moving from South Africa’s northern provinces to the Western Cape province.

Here’s the sands and calm waters of **Santos Beach** that has just a hint of surf.

The boat and water sport enthusiasts hang out on the other end of the beach, where there is a **launch ramp** for fishing boats and other craft.

The ‘**Stone Church**‘ (Afr. Klipkerk) of the Dutch Reformed Church on Church St in downtown.
The cornerstone was laid in 1878 and the church was consecrated in 1880.

Further down on **Church Street** the blue water of the bay come into view.

The **Prince Vintcent Building** on Bland Street dates back to 1901. It hosts architects offices, cafes, bakeries and studios.

The St Blaize Terrace building from 1909 is on Marsh Street near The Point.

Nearby is this beautiful building for **the old The Point High School** (which now houses **Milkwood Primary School**).
Keating & Co did the construction, also in 1909. The stones were quarried in the hills and transported with cocopans on the rails to the school. Different stones were used: dark pink stones contrasts with the sandstone around the windows.

This tide pool is across from **The Point Caravan Park**.

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025

Friday/ Jukani wildlife sanctuary 🦁

These pictures are from our visit to Jukani wildlife sanctuary this morning.

The encampments are reasonably large, and in almost all cases the animals are from zoos or from situations where they will no longer survive in the wild.

Animals in the pictures: Burchell’s zebra, springbok, lion, mountain lion, Siberian tiger, caracal, brown hyena.