Friday, April 20, 2007
Plan K2
In the beginning, there was Plan K: Korea. Of our original four pack, one dropped out at the last minute due to chicken pox, prompting the following legendary observation from Caitlin (sic):
"Chicken pox?! What, was he breastfed until he was, like, 12 or something?"
Barring the mumps or nappy rash or any other belated health issues, however, all four are going to be in attendance for Plan K2: Kyushu!
Just as K2 is widely recognised as being an extremely dangerous mountain, we intend to entertain ourselves by checking out a couple of Japan's volcanoes in our whistle-stop tour of the southernmost of the country's four main islands.
Just to whet my appetite, a student drew me a map of Kagoshima, including its famous volcano, Sakurajima (lit: cherry blossom island) a volcano which rises menacingly out of the sea. I noticed a bit of false advertising.
"Hang on- it's joined to the mainland. Shouldn't it be called Sakurahanto (lit: cherry blossom peninsula)?"
The student told me that it had been an island until a particularly enthusiastic eruption had sent enough lava into the sea to join it to the mainland.
I'm there. I can feel the flecks of lava singeing my cheeks and the ash blocking out the sunlight. I am there.
Remember kids: duck and cover.
"Chicken pox?! What, was he breastfed until he was, like, 12 or something?"
Barring the mumps or nappy rash or any other belated health issues, however, all four are going to be in attendance for Plan K2: Kyushu!
Just as K2 is widely recognised as being an extremely dangerous mountain, we intend to entertain ourselves by checking out a couple of Japan's volcanoes in our whistle-stop tour of the southernmost of the country's four main islands.
Just to whet my appetite, a student drew me a map of Kagoshima, including its famous volcano, Sakurajima (lit: cherry blossom island) a volcano which rises menacingly out of the sea. I noticed a bit of false advertising.
"Hang on- it's joined to the mainland. Shouldn't it be called Sakurahanto (lit: cherry blossom peninsula)?"
The student told me that it had been an island until a particularly enthusiastic eruption had sent enough lava into the sea to join it to the mainland.
I'm there. I can feel the flecks of lava singeing my cheeks and the ash blocking out the sunlight. I am there.
Remember kids: duck and cover.
