Nova Atlantis

[ Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Listening to Junko practicing piano ]
WorldCon Day 5 was pretty uneventful. I packed the night before, checked out in the morning, and left my luggage with the hotel desk while I went to a panel with Kim Stanley Robinson, Greg Benford, and David Levine on the bioethics of terraforming Mars. Interesting discussion between three hard-SF authors who are either scientists or very well-informed on the science involved.

After that, I just dumped some things I didn’t want to carry back with me in the attendees’ lounge with a note saying "take it if you want it." I dumped my little 7-11 umbrella there as well, since the day was uncharacteristically sunny.

Then I went George R.R. Martin hunting. I had purchased three books, and I’d gotten two of them signed; only Martin’s was as yet unsigned. Finally, just as I was giving up and getting ready to leave the con and head to the airport, I saw him! He went into the con organizers’ lounge before I could accost him, so I waited outside, feeling like a stalker, but when he emerged and I explained that I was about to leave, he graciously signed the book. He was just as nice as everyone says he is.

Then it was off to Tullamarine Airport. I regretted giving away my umbrella when I got caught in a downpour on the way to Southern Cross (aka Jenkins Street) Station–but I rather enjoyed that one last cold drenching from Melbourne. The express bus is quite comfortable and, at $16, pretty cheap by Australian standards (man, I thought Japan was an expensive place to live!). My seat-mate was a sweet middle-aged woman, and I had one last good conversation with a local as I was leaving Melbourne.

I may have mentioned this in another post, but I’ve realized that when I go somewhere, I’m really not all that terribly interested in seeing the sights. What I really enjoy doing most is getting out on my own and getting a taste what it’s like to live there, and striking up good conversations in cafes and restaurants and on street corners. So for me, Melbourne is a great place to visit.

Singapore Airlines was a joy to deal with, as it has been all during this trip. Junko had requested a specific perfume, so I went duty-free shopping for the first time ever. The stuff they sell in duty-free shops is not really the kind of thing I would normally buy for myself, or at least that’s what I thought. I got Junko her perfume, and then I bought some perfume for my two daughters as well (a bit less expensive), and got some plush Australian animals for the grandkids. And finally, on the way to the gate, I just couldn’t resist buying a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask, a bottling of Laphroaig I’d never tried before but which I’d heard was terrific. Not something I could easily find in Japan, and if I did it would probably be twice the price. So there I am: a duty-free-shop kind of guy now.

Flight home was not bad. A large section of seats was taken up by a group of Japanese college girls who had been studying English at Melbourne University for two weeks; they were all excited to be heading home. I asked their teacher which university–she replied "Nakamura Gakuin." Whoa! That’s where my daughter Natsumi went to school! Small world.

A shorter, but still pretty long, stay in Singapore’s Changi Airport, then the last leg of the journey home. Bulkhead seats–nice! I had a window seat, so it was the best of both worlds; I could watch the sunrise, but I could also easily step past my seatmate without disturbing her.

Though Kyushu was catching the edge of a typhoon, we had no problems landing, and got in on time. Fortunately, I didn’t get my bags inspected; I was glad not to have to explain the kilo of awesome sunflower seeds gifted to me by Tim. He knows this Indian grocer who sells roasted sunflower seeds in the shell, just barely salted, that are the best sunflower seeds I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of sunflower seeds.

The typhoon decides to dump a lot of rain on us just as I exit the Nishijin Subway Station, so it’s a taxi to get home. Pretty warm and sticky. We pass Natsumi on her way to work–I roll down the window and call and wave to her. Then it’s home and my dog. (I won’t see Junko until evening, when she comes home from work.)

Man, it is good to be back! I miss Melbourne, but being with my family is fantastic.