The Eagle Has Landed

At least, the bird of paradise has, since I was travelling Air Niu Guinea. I can definitely recommend them, being much cheaper and still good quality. I stopped over at Port Moresby, spending an hour in a 70's style waiting lounge, but it's directly on the way to Tokyo so the trip took 6 hours less than last time when I went via Singapore. Chihiro met me at the airport with a big smile and hug, but was a little shy about giving me a kiss with so many people watching (smooching in public is considered pretty rude in Japan).

The next day we spent in Ginza, the posh shopping district of Tokyo. It was snowing, but luckily Chihiro gave me a warm scarf for Christmas. And just two days ago I was swimming at the Gold Coast! We had massive lunch at a stylish restraunt for only $15. We had a main meal each, and stacked up our plates twice at a buffet offering all sorts of tasty soups, salads, tofus, and deserts. The service was impressive too - I had dropped a chopstick on the floor and was just about to pick it up when a waitress appeared with another pair for me!