Japan

so sorry I never finished the Story of Spain. It was great. I just sat on a beack for a week and drank beer and went to football games with locals and danced the flamingo dance at some random place where there were real live TV dancers hanging out. I'll post some pictures later.

Anyway, where does the summer go? It seems that the second I post, I turn around and months have gone by!

My excuse this time is that I was preparing for this crystallography conference in Japan. And keeping up with my lab work.

I'm here now, newly arrived and running on about 4hrs of sleep from about oh...lets see check that watch...52hrs. I'm a bit delierious and my head seems to be lifting a bit off my neck. It's an odd sensation. But no sleep yet! Some talks to attend, then I finally get to check into the hotel and I'll be crashing later, hard core.

I'll post pictures later, got a great one of the toilets....

Day 1 continued

"boom" I jumped and froze in my path.. but the sound was quickly followed by a familiar crackling. Fireworks!! As I was to learn later, Spain had won a football game to put them in the final, that night. And so I found myself in the mist of a celebration I couldn't understand, but really enjoyed.

I walked along the main road full of people. Kids running and cars honking. Older people scattered about on patios.
I stopped to ask directions and mostly understood the general waving and pointing.

I wandered around off the main road enjoying the festive nature of the place.
Finally, I decided I should get to the hotel and meandered in the general direction of the previous indications. Naturally, when I reached the ocean I panicked, slightly, had I missed the place, was I to sleep on the beach (not that it would be such a trouble).

After about that few minutes of upset, I happened to turn around and there it stood, wrapped against white plaster..."'Al Sur de Chipiona." the hotel.