A Year From Now...

May 2013 - Honolulu Triathlon

Due to the generosity of friends from Japan and the support of my family, I was able to join a team for the Honolulu Triathlon last month.  日本人の友人の寛大さと家族の支援があるので、先月ホノルルトライアスロンのためにチームに参加することができました。

Swimming practice at Ala Moana Park was great preparation for race day. アラモアナ公園で水泳の練習は、レース当日のために偉大な準備だった。

The event began before the Waikiki sunrise – 5:45 AM start!  イベントはワイキキ日の出の前を始めた - 5:45のスタート！

Due to an excellent course and ideal conditions, I was able to enjoy a good pace and finish in 2:43.  Very nice!  優れたコースと理想的な天気のために、2時43分には良いペースと仕上がりを楽しむことができました。非常に素晴らしい！

Gaining support and advice from experienced teammates was a unique and rewarding experience.  I am very grateful to everyone for their kind support!  I am looking forward to the next event!  経験豊富なチームメイトからのサポートやアドバイスを得ることは、ユニークでやりがいのある経験だった。皆さん、心から、深く感謝いたします！次のイベントを楽しみにしています！

Spring Break Continues - - - ~ ~ SE MI, Chicago, Wooster

Monica was the only one without jet-lag. We had a couple of days together, until the end of her college spring break.  モニカだけは時差ぼけがない人ので、二日間を過ごした。すぐにモニカの大学校の春休みは終わりました。

Back to Kalamazoo College for a great new semester.  モニカはカラマズ大学校に帰ったので、新しい間をがんばって！

Overnite trip to Chicago to look at universities again before the final decision.  シカゴ町に行って、二つか医学校をもう一回に見ます。ジョナは一ヶ月間しかがあるので、大学校を選びます。

DePaul University is right in the city, but Loyola Chicago isn't far out and it's right on the lake. The colleges both have great programs. Loyola is smaller and more of a residential college. DePaul has ambitious media programs, but now Jonah's leaning more toward psychology. シカゴはたくさん大学校があるので、二つだけはジョナの興味があります。違う学校はフィルムとか実業があるので、最近ジョナは心理学を興味があります。大学校はずっと隣に大きい湖水に立ちます。

The next day, we drove to a small town in Ohio and visited The College of Wooster. It is an excellent college with a great psychology department. 次の日、小さい町に運動をしたので、ウースターの大学校を見に行きました。すごい大学校はとてもいい心理学の部門があります。

Jonah and student-guide in the Wooster Cafeteria.  ジョナは学生とランチを食べました。

Finally I got to see the house that Martin bought a few months ago. All the stuff that was stored for 13 years while we were overseas is now in the basement. Here Martin enjoys treating his leather motorcycle jacket from long ago.私は 中国にいたときに、マーティンは家を買ったので、初めて見ました。13年間に海外に物が貯蔵をしたので、新しい家の地下に入れました。懐かしいに、マーティンはバイクの皮のジャケットを処理を楽します。 

Spring Break Escape - - - - - - - - - - PVG > DTW

The worst thing about leaving China for 9 days, is we can't take Toby. The second worst thing is the 12 hours in Economy DIScomfort. But everything else is great. Can't wait to see Monica and Martin.　春の休みから、中国からアメリカまで旅行をするので、九日間だけが、とても楽しみにしています。娘と言うモニカとマーティンもよく会いたいです。でも、トビは行かないので、さびし。他の悪い事は飛行機の１２時間は一番やすいの椅子から、ひどい辛苦です。

No, we are not leaving him here alone, he is going to visit his friends at BARK. He loves them. They do his grooming. もちろん一人でいるので、グルミングの会社で泊まります。好きです。

Plus, I have a great traveling companion! Jonah, not Toby.

ボウナスはジョ名はいい旅行のコンパニオンです。

Hello. .. Goodbye. ~~~~~~~~ Shanghai

 

Martin had some business here in Shanghai, so he stopped by.  This is the part that we expected, when weeks and weeks would go by, with no travel in this direction.  Then he flies in and its nonstop action for a few days, then off to Korea he went.  It was short but sweet and fun.  It was Valentines Day, afterall.  Probably the next time we will be together is March in Michigan.

マーティンは主張から、上海に来ました。四日だけが、よかったです。いつも仕事をしてので、一緒にの時間は珍しいだので、貴重です。次に韓国に行ったので、今飛行機の中にアメリカの自宅に帰ります。ばれんたいんの日もすばらしかったです。次の一緒にの時間は私の計画は遅い３月にジョナとミシガン州に行きます。

Jonah took us for Pho.  序名の好きなレストランに行きました。フォです。

I went for the hotter Pho, and I was not disappointed.  私はもっと辛いフォを選んだので、とてもおいしかったです。

Hanging out, just the two of us Valentines.  バレンタインの日から、２人だけを要ると思います。

   Father and son time.  父と息子の時間。

Happy Anniversary ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Waikiki, Hawaii

I've always wanted to visit Hawaii, so Martin came up with this plan to use up all of our accumulated airline and hotel points, and meet in Honolulu for our 25th wedding anniversary.  It was only for four days, but we totally made the best of it.  Now that January is here, I am finally able to reflect on some of the lovely experiences from those precious four days.  Here's some of the pix from my camera.  

長い間にハワイに行きたかったが、最近始めて行きました。マーティンの考えは全部の航空会社とかホテルのポイントを使ったら、できます。そして、２５の結婚記念日に、ハワイに会いました。マーティンはアメリカから来たので、私は上海から行きました。４日間はとても良い経験だので、最近忙しいから、ついに写真を見て、鑑賞的に思案した。カメラから写真です。

 

 

 

 

 It's not just about the food. Martin and I enjoyed hiking on Diamondhead, riding a Harley to Pearl Harbor and the other side of the island, swimming, and biking.  And we were lucky to explore the wildlife in a coral reef, including sea turtles, octipus, eel and big colorful fish.  料理は美味しかったが、ハワイはすばらしいです。一緒に時間に、ダイモンドヘドに上って、パールハーバーにハーレーバイクを乗って、泳いで、自転車も乗りました。そして、シュノーケルでザンごしょうを見たので、海カメ、タコ、ウナギとか大きいきれい魚も近い見ました。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Is living in Hawaii so pleasant that it turns everyone nice?  I don't know, but we sure met a lot of nice people there.  

Like Elizabeth, of Waikiki Mint Limeade.  She just opened this business, making delicious and natural fruit drinks.  I wish her all the luck in the world.  

Aloha Honolulu - December 2012

People were surprised to hear that none of the Asia Murrays had been to Hawaii.  "Really," they would say.  "you lived in Japan for more than ten years and never went to Hawaii??". 　日本に１０年以上住んでいたから、友達が”我々はハワイへ行ったいなかった”のを聞いたとき、彼らは驚いた。

Pamela and I took a chance to meet each other halfway between Shanghai and Detroit on a small island in the central Pacific: Oahu.  We overlooked Waikiki and enjoyed swimming in the sea, walking along the streets, and experiencing the positive vibe of Honolulu and surrounding areas. パメラと私は上海とデトロイトの中間に会った：オアフ島。ワイキキの通りに歩いて、ホノルルとその周辺地域のポジティブな雰囲気を体験し、海で泳いで楽しんだ。

I was so surprised to see such beautiful rainbows!  I would later learn that rainbows are a common sight around Oahu and we saw many beautiful examples, including this one. 

From our hotel, looking Northwest along Kalakaua Avenue in the evening is a beautiful sight!  Strolling the street at night and jogging it in the early morning are exciting experiences.   It is an unique blend of high fashion, tourism, and down-to-earth friendly people.

I married Pamela exactly 25 years before this picture was taken.  One of the prerequisites for marriage was enthusiasm for motorcycles.  She has never let me down!  We enjoyed cruising the Road King around Oahu, especially Likelike Highway, Kailua Beach, and Hiway 72 along the Southeast edge of the island.

Sunsets at Waikiki Beach evoke all the senses: the pleasant smell of the tropics, the busy sounds of the city, the warm rays of the sun, and the cool breezes of the evening.

This is just the beginning of a relationship with Hawaii.  Aloha and Mahalo!

Click here for more Hawaii pictures at PIXBYMARTIN: http://www.pixbymartin.com/Travel/2012-December-Honolulu/27333046_Wxr5jv#!i=2299064344&k=w7mB5dP

Cultural Cuisine ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ Xi'an

While on our short sightseeing trip to Xi'an, we had time to enjoy a couple of different styles of traditional cultural cuisine, the Chinese dumpling, which is a specialty of Xian, and the streetfood of the Muslim night market.  Added to that is another traditional food group, American Fast Food.  We did not know what to expect from Xian, but found it to be a modern city, and more orderly than Shanghai.  They are doing a lot of things right, except for the terrible air pollution.  We stayed near the Bell Tower, which is the center of the city, and admit to enjoying McDonalds and Haagen Daz while there.

最近家族と四安と言う中国の町に観光旅行に行ったので、二つの種類伝説な料理を食べました。中国の餃子は四安の専門です。そしてモスの夜の市場の料理は道で使ったので、面白いです。初めてに四安の町に行ったので、分からなかったが、モダンです。上海より行儀のよいです。空気汚染以外にいい町です。間の中に、マクドナルドとかハゲンダーズも食べました。

         

These dumplings are all different and interesting shapes, and with different and interesting fillings.  The little pig faces contain pork and cabbage, and the delicious duck shaped ones contain yummy duck.  The green ones were shrimp, and the eyes are some kind of fish egg plus a black sesame seed.  We each got one of each, a couple of dozen in all, and an interesting dumpling soup with very tiny dumplings.  I got two in my bowl, which means double happiness!

餃子はとても面白いです。全部は一つずつ違う形だので、中身とか味も、別々です。面白かったので、美味しかったです。例えば、豚の顔の形餃子は豚肉とキャベジです。着ろ色な鴨の形の餃子の中身は美味しい鴨です。緑は海老だので、目は魚卵だので、ゴマ種子です。ダンプリングスープはちっちゃな餃子があるので、少ない。私は二つを貰ったので、ダーブルハーピーの意味です。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Muslim night market was a nice surprise.  We had been warned to watch for thieves, and don't eat the food.  Instead, we found the people to be hospitable and fair.  The food was delicious.  We ate savory lamb kebabs, spicy fried tofu, cookies and candied crab apples.  モスの夜の市場はよくびっくりしたので、とてもよかったです。中国のガイドは危ないと言ったので、料理と食べないで、すり人も見てくださいと言いました。でも、違います。人人は歓迎的ので、料理は安くておいしかったです。味のよい子羊のカバブを食べたので、辛い焼き豆腐とか、クーキーとか、甘い小さい林檎も楽しかったです。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FYI, I arranged the trip with John McKenna of Travel the Real China.  Always excellent custom arranged travel.  Use the guide and driver when you need, and plenty of chance to explore on your own.  I highly recommend John.  He set up our excellent Yangzte River Cruise last spring as well.  

December 2012 Family Trip to Xi'an

Memories are formed in many ways.  Some come from the destination, some from the journey, and some from the company you keep.   From our family trip to Xi’an, powerful and poignant memories exist from all three.     思い出は多くのソースから来ています。たとえば、いくつかの旅から、行き先から、そしていくつかのあなたとしている人々からです。私たちの西安の家族旅行から、強力かつ感動的な思い出は、3つすべてから存在しています。

Our journey began at the Shanghai Railway Station.  Having enjoyed train travel in Japan and Europe, Pamela arranged an overnight train from Shanghai to Xi'an.  It was a noteworthy journey.  The facilities were well below standards based on our experience, but pretty comfortable considering China.  The family time was excellent!  Sleep?...well, that is a different story.

Visiting the Great Mosque in Xi'an opened our eyes to the consequences of ancient trade on the Silk Road and religious tolerance and endurance in China.  Muslim traders from the Middle East established bases in Xi'an more than 1000 years ago when China was a dynamic and prosperous great power.  Intermarriage mixed the populations, yet a distinct and harmonious Muslim culture thrives in Xi'an today, nearly one million strong.

The faces tell the story: a blend of Persian, Chinese, and Arab heritage spice the food and the environment at the downtown Night Market.

Exploring new places together brings out the best in our family.

A 14 kilometer bike ride on the largest city wall in world provides a fascinating view of Xi'an.  Low buildings on the inside and skyscrapers on the outside reflect good city planning.  Unfortunately, an insatiable demand for energy and an abundant supply of very dirty coal create an unbelievably thick and dense pollution cloud over the city.  Look carefully in the picture and you will see the sun "shining" through the thick gray clouds.  Hard to believe people live here...8 million of them!

 

We liked the Terracotta Warriors.  But, I must admit, I am skeptical about some of the "history" of the place.  The ratio of infrastructure to archeology is somewhat suspicious...and the role of the tip-collecting "hero" who "discovered" the treasure in 1974 is, well, interesting....    Anyway, we enjoyed climbing around on the ancient artifacts.  Just kidding!  I wonder if they will ever renew my China VISA again...

    

See all my posted Xian pictures at: http://www.pixbymartin.com/Travel/2012-December-Xian-China/27318085_w5kNsP#!i=2296129868&k=NG5KhPQ

Night Ride to Hot Pot . . . . .Shanghai

So, the bike as a form of daily transportation is something I haven't experienced for awhile, but I am feeling stronger and more balanced, and have been riding my bike quite a bit.  Last night after dark, my friend and I rode our bikes to a restaurant that she knows.  As we went through the tunnels under the highway, and crossed unlit and typically chaotic intersections, I thought of my many night skates in Tokyo over the years.  It had been both exciting and terrifying to move so quickly at night, almost feeling your way along in some places, hurtling into the darkness on the path next to the river, trusting.  This was not quite so bad, we rode the bikes slowly.  (For my sake, I'm sure.)  The autumn festival lanterns above, hang in the entrance of our compound.  The rest of the twenty minute ride was much darker.  最近、よく元気になったので、もっと自転車に乗ります。昨日晩に暗がりで中国人の友達と自転車でレストランに行きました。乗りながら、昔の東京のナイトスケートを思い出しました。ちょっと危ないから、少しい怖かったです。でも、あのナイトスケートの追走は懐かしいので、面白いです。上の写真のたくさんランプは秋の祭りで近所の門にかけました。レストランは２０分でかいて、もっと暗いです。

Jessie and I had a great time eating Hot Pot, at a restaurant I would have never gone into by myself. She made sure that I understood the ordering process and even translated all of the pertinent items on a sheet, so next time I can take Jonah there, and we can enjoy Hot Pot again.  It's great to have a Chinese friend like Jessie.  中国人の友達と言うジェシー一緒にホットポットを 食べに行きました。あのレストランは一人で無理ので、ジェシーとやさしくて、美味しかったです。もう、ジェシーは注文をする方を説明をしたので、メンユーを訳しました。そうすると、次の時に、ジョナと一緒に行って、楽しむと思います。とてもやさしい友達です。

Weekend Sunrise, Jinqiao

A beautiful Shanghai sunrise greets us at 5:35 AM. 

午前５時半に、きれいな上海の日の出が来ました。

      Two weeks ago today, Martin completed his first full length triathlon, at Murakami, Japan, then came here to Shanghai.  Barely had he arrived, and he was off to Beijing, and more, doing interesting work with batteries and automotive electrification.  He did spend a good bit of time here, which went by too fast, and this morning he flew away again, back to Michigan.  

今日には、二週間前に、マーティンは最初のトライアサロンを終わったので、村上の日本にで、上海と言うここに来ました。直ちに、ずっとにペキンに行ったので、面白い仕事は車の電池についてプロジェクトをしています。一緒にの時間は全然十分だから、今朝も飛行機に乗って、ミシガン州に途中に行きました。

Yesterday, Martin tried to post this photo, but I've been having all sorts of trouble with this website, and it wasn't behaving properly.  Now I think I've fixed it, so that everyone can enjoy an unusually pretty Shanghai sunset.  You may notice that I have inserted Facebook "Like" buttons on the individual posts, as well as a "LIKE" button on the sideboard, which should give you new postings in your newsfeed.  Go ahead, try it!

昨日マーティンは上の写真を撮ったので、ここに載せてみていたが、最近私はたくさんのインターネットの問題があったから、無理です。よく努力をしたから、たぶん直しました。全部のポーストはＦＢのライクのボットンを着いたので、本のブローグもライクのボットンがあります。そうすると、好きだったら、やってみてください。