Last Post

This is Martin and my last post.  It is 4:30 AM on Thursday and we have all been up since 2 AM suffering from jet lag.  Luke just had cheerios, toast, and cheetos for his first breakfast.  Hopefully we'll go back to sleep before dawn.  The flight home was really not too bad, at least the Tokyo-San Fran portion.  The 2-hour drive home from Phoenix was a little rough (I was afraid to go to sleep in case it might tempt Martin).  It is great to be home and back in America with so many great memories and even greater pictures!  Anyone who is up for a slightly long-ish slideshow is welcome to come by.  Thanks for reading and for your comments, Jessica

Jessica Brandt

thebrandts1@mac.com

Bullet train

>

>
>

Bullet train

>

> Here we are on the bullet train traveling at 300 kmph. Jess said if
> you move your arms you feel like you are running at an incredible
> rate of speed. Luke of course has fallen asleep apparently 180 mph
> doesn't excite him. We are enroute for Tokyo.
> Martin
>

Garden at Nijo Castle

>

> We took this while touring Nijo castle in Kyoto. Note the rock
> bridge which is just one piece of stone. It was very peaceful and
> calming. Which apparently has the opposite effect on the luker as
> he screamed excitedly through the garden.
> Martin

Reed flute cave

>

> This is a beautiful cave we visited while in Guilin. They have it
> lit with hidden colored lights giving it an interesting effect.
> There was massive natural formations.
> Martin
>

When in Rome

>

> Here is Judi and her snake wine. Of course she shared with the rest
> if the group. Luke really liked it. J/k
> Martin
>

Fwd: Li river

>
>> The following pictures were from our trip up the Li river. It was a
>> four hour boat ride with fantastic views of local people that live
>> by the river, water buffalo and bamboo rafts.
> Martin
>>
>>

Lights of Ginza

Fwd:

>
>

Fwd: Ginza --Japan's Rodeo Drive

Sent from my iPhone. 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chuck Brandt <azbrandt@mac.com>
Date: August 25, 2008 10:19:51 PM PDT
To: "azbrama.luke@blogger.com" <azbrama.luke@blogger.com>, Eric and Beth Brandt <bethbrandt@hotmail.com>, Barbara and Steffen Catron <hbcatrons@mac.com>, "brazen_cyclework@gmail.com" <brazen_cyclework@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Ginza --Japan's Rodeo Drive

Sent from my iPhone. 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chuck Brandt <azbrandt@mac.com>
Date: August 25, 2008 10:10:44 PM PDT
To: "azbrama.luke@blogger.com" <azbrama.luke@blogger.com>
Subject: Ginza --Japan's Rodeo Drive

Bright lights and neon signs, chaffered cars and every high end shops. Fun to walk the walk.  We found the Apple store but our pics still didn't go. Today found us getting a subway to Asamusa Temple. Also covered shopping, rickshaw drivers and torii gates.  We covered ourselves in incense smoke--the wind shifted and Jess and Shelby got more their share of smoke. Judi
Sent from my iPhone.

Ginza

We are on Japans rodeo drive.checking blog.sorryjudi
Sent from my iPhone.

Fwd: Ginza --Japan's Rodeo Drive

Sent from my iPhone. 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chuck Brandt <azbrandt@mac.com>
Date: August 25, 2008 10:10:44 PM PDT
To: "azbrama.luke@blogger.com" <azbrama.luke@blogger.com>
Subject: Ginza --Japan's Rodeo Drive

Bright lights and neon signs, chaffered cars and every high end shops. Fun to walk the walk.  We found the Apple store but our pics still didn't go. Today found us getting a subway to Asamusa Temple. Also covered shopping, rickshaw drivers and torii gates.  We covered ourselves in incense smoke--the wind shifted and Jess and Shelby got more their share of smoke. Judi
Sent from my iPhone.

Ginza --Japan's Rodeo Drive

Bright lights and neon signs, chaffered cars and every high end shops.
Fun to walk the walk. We found the Apple store but our pics still
didn't go. Today found us getting a subway to Asamusa Temple. Also
covered shopping, rickshaw drivers and torii gates. We covered
ourselves in incense smoke--the wind shifted and Jess and Shelby got
more their share of smoke. Judi
Sent from my iPhone.

Bullet train

Here we are on the bullet train traveling at 300 kmph. Jess said if
you move your arms you feel like you are running at an incredible rate
of speed. Luke of course has fallen asleep apparently 180 mph doesn't
excite him. We are enroute for Tokyo.
Martin

Bullet train

Garden at Nijo Castle

We took this while touring Nijo castle in Kyoto. Note the rock bridge
which is just one piece of stone. It was very peaceful and calming.
Which apparently has the opposite effect on the luker as he screamed
excitedly through the garden.
Martin

Reed flute cave

This is a beautiful cave we visited while in Guilin. They have it lit
with hidden colored lights giving it an interesting effect. There was
massive natural formations.
Martin

When in Rome

Here is Judi and her snake wine. Of course she shared with the rest if
the group. Luke really liked it. J/k
Martin

Li river

>

> The following pictures were from our trip up the Li river. It was a
> four hour boat ride with fantastic views of local people that live
> by the river, water buffalo and bamboo rafts.
Martin
>
>

Fwd: Li river

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Martin Brandt <thebrandts1@mac.com>
Date: August 22, 2008 4:55:52 AM PDT
To: "azbrama.luke@blogger.com" <azbrama.luke@blogger.com>
Subject: Li river

The following pictures were from our trip up the Li river. It was a four hour boat ride with fantastic views of local people that live by the river, water buffalo and bamboo rafts.

Sent from my iPhone

Viking Dinner with Japanese son and brother and his parents

---

So what is a Viking dinner on the 17th floor of a nearby hotel.  Japanese name for a buffet dinner.  Oh my oh my!!  The view was fabulous and the food devine.  We had sushi eel, fried eel, tempura, sesame purple sweet potatoes, vanilla ice cream with sprinkles, kobe beef steaks cooked to your liking, salad with ham, tofu, Lukes favorite the edamane plus the noodles, pizza, warm sake for Judi, beer for the others, very tender pork, french bread and butter yummy, green tea, coffee, lots of different salads, wonderful sweet fresh watermelon and other melons.  And of course while we are enjoying our three hour dinner the view changes from day to evening.  You could see the wonderful mountains surrounding Kyoto and the evening lights.  What a treat and then Katsutoshi, Japanese son and brother, came by train 2 hours to see us.  It looked great and we exchanged gifts which is Japanese custom.  It was so wonderful to see the Aoki and look at pictures from other Japanese trips.  All our kids have been to Japan.  Eric when he was a year and a half and Barbi at 12 and Martin at 34.  We forgot how much we love this place and its people. 
Ohioguzymas...Judi

Today we visited Nijo Castle in Kyoto

Mrs. Aoki a friend for many years took us to Nijo Castle.  Mrs. Aoki is the mother of an exchange student that stayed with us in Pakrer some 24 years.  Her son Katsutoshi was 14 at the time.  We had fun showing him the USA.  Mrs. Aoki also helped us find a place to stay with teachers when we came to Nagano Olympics and then she and Katsutoshi came to visit us in Nagano.  We like her very much.  Shelby liked that the floors of the Nijo Castle creaked to warn the guards someone was near.  This was a castle for the Shogun.  It has a beautiful garden and moat to protect it.  Shelby and Luke like the fish.  Then we went to have lunch at a very nice hotel.  It was Japanese style and very delicious ---we has tempura and Martin has sushi.  The kids preferred rice.  The waitresses were in typical Japanese kimonos and very beautiful.  We will send pictutres to the blog when we get home in four days. We are sorry there are no pictures but for some reason the pictures will not go nor will the writing when we send them together.  Judi

Ok river

We are in Japan and having trouble with our blog pic

We arrived in Osaka, Japan about 4 hours ago and are now in Kyoto, Japan.  We got here by train from the airport and then a taxi to our hotel.  The orderliness of the Japanese people is a contrast to my experience in China.  We love the bowing and all the organized homes of the people in Japan.  Our Japanese language came back really quick.  Martin is wanting sushi so we hope to babysit while him and Jessica go out.  I finally got a little sleep and we are so excited to be in one place for two nights.  Sorry that our pictures from the last days in China did not go.  Now when Im typing it goes to Japanese so good luck with this email.  Judi

Li river

>

Just got the great news. I can see them in matching outfits. Or an the first Olympic sister beach volleyballl team from Huntington Beach.

We are thrilled!

Elephant hill

Here we are in Guilen at a famous limestone mountain in the shape of an elephant.

Gulin's famous cave

This was a very wonderful cave with natural air conditioning. This was
our last tour in China! We are leaving with many amazing memories!

Li river

The following pictures were from our trip up the Li river. It was a
four hour boat ride with fantastic views of local people that live by
the river, water buffalo and bamboo rafts.

Guilin River Cruise

Beautiful scenery very typical limestone mountains. Went to a
fabulous performance of 600 people called Impressions.  It was outside with a backdrop of these hills and river. Created by the same guy who did the opening
ceremonies. So you can just imagine.
Judi

Over 6 hour bus ride and farm land the whole way

Lots of rice growing along with lotus flowers. The guide told us they
eat the pink roots and seeds and use the leaves and flowers for tea.
They were also fish farming areas along the way because the Yangtze
River was now very murky. Judi

Three Gorges Dam

In this dam picture it is hard to see the dam structure. We took a dam
tour today. Our dam tour guide said it would generate as much power as
ten nuclear plants. Unfortunately we were not able to go through the
lochs on our boat because of the dam security. We did go to a few dam
lookouts and got some great dam views. It is 1.4 miles long, but still
not the longest. It is the biggest though because of the amount of
concrete used. It's a damn big dam! Sorry for the swear.
Martin

Gorge view

More gorge

Exiting the last gorge on the Yangtze

More Warriors from Judi