The crazy frenzy of packing up the trikes to make them safe for plane travel makes for an all encompassing obsession until the job is done. Barry takes on this thankless task and disappears for a few days to our garage while I handle some of the other jobs (like taxes, prepaying bills etc) that need doing before we leave our home for 3 months. It is a routine we have grown accustomed to, yet we both feel such relief when the jobs are done. Now the fun can begin as we begin our journey.
Our good friends, Leslie and Chris, made us an offer we couldn’t refuse….a ride to the ferry in their truck with our load of trikes and panniers. Here we are at the Long Harbour Ferry terminal awaiting our ferry to the mainland. Thanks…Arigato to Leslie and Chris.
It is an easy and familiar way to begin our travels with a BC ferry ride to Tsawwassen, followed by a stay at Vancouver Airport. We will fly tomorrow at 1:50 pm and this gives us a civilized start to our trip as we need to check in early about 10:30 AM.
Barry did an incredible job making our trikes flight worthy and easy to handle. We simply hold them at the “heart shaped” end and roll them along like a wheelbarrow.
It is a beautiful day to begin our journey. Mt Baker is quite stunning today and provides a lovely backdrop for the lighthouse at Mayne Island, one of the Outer Gulf Islands.
Prior to moving to Saltspring Island, we lived on Galiano Island for several years where Barry taught at Galiano Elementary School. Sturdies Bay is such a familiar place for us with wonderful memories of our time there.
A few years ago, we realized that it was less wear and tear on us and our trikes to stay at the Fairmont Hotel which is located in the Airport. It is so easy to get up and simply walk a few minutes with our trikes and bags to the JAL check in counter. We used to stay in Richmond, but it was a hassle to count on a hotel shuttle willing to transport our trikes and with the rising cost of accommodation in Richmond, those formerly “inexpensive” alternatives have lost their appeal.
The spring arrival of cherry trees in full bloom is being celebrated at the Vancouver Airport. We are excited that we will soon be in Osaka to enjoy Japan’s famed cherry blossom season called Sakura.
Barry chose Asahi, his favourite Japanese beer, for his welcome aboard beverage on the plane. We love the JAL seating as we have extra leg room at the bulkhead and the outside section is only 2 seats. Privacy and legs room….a great start.
The 10 hour flight to Narita Airport (Tokyo) has gone well. We will be glad to get off and stretch our legs before we continue on to Itami Osaka. We will have about 3 hours to wait for the next flight. Unfortunately, as Narita is our first point of entry to Japan, we will have to pick up our luggage and trikes, go through immigration and customs, check in our gear for Itami and then wait for our next flight (in 3 hours) to Itami.
We had help with our trikes getting to the next flight. It is an onerous endeavour as the walking distance is great and we have to go through customs and immigration, then check our bags and trikes for the next flight.
These fellows made the transition at Narita bearable. We are indebted to them for their hard work and support. The fellow on the left had a great sense of humour and as we tried to express our gratitude, he showed us, despite his size just how strong he is. Arigato gozaimas.
The sight of our trikes always result in expressions of consternation from the fellows who need to ensure they are not a danger on a flight. They are preparing to take apart some of Barry’s hard work to inspect them. I guess we were lucky on our previous 3 trips as the trikes were not opened up for inspection.
As we were sitting waiting for our next flight from Narita (Tokyo) to Itami (Osaka), the JAL agent who had checked us in, found us and asked Barry to go with her. She was in tears and was very apologetic that the fellows who inspect cargo, wanted to take the wrapping off of the trikes as they were too large to go through the scanner. We are so grateful that she didn’t let them take the trikes apart without letting one of us be there. In the end, the fellow agreed to just cut holes in the packaging and then proceeded to insert his hand in the openings and feel for anything troubling. Barry was able to tape the trikes back together and we were able to get on the scheduled flight to Itami with a few minutes to spare. . Whew….
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Steve Miller/GrampiesThe possibility of damage to our bikes on a flight, or an overly zealous inspection at some point is what led to our decision to leave our bikes in Europe, either in storage or with friends, until our next trip. Reply to this comment 2 weeks ago
Barry BartlettTo Steve Miller/GrampiesGood point…we agree. While cycling in Europe we left our tandem with friends on their farm.. In Japan, we have struck out. Space is such an issue here…we have tried to find a solution, even our mechanic in Osaka tried to help and he recommended that there was no solution. His shop is so small that he has to put his stock outside when open. To rent a storage unit in Japan you must be a citizen. This problem is the one thing we that we don’t love about travelling to Japan. I guess this sums up how much we love it here, because we continue to travel here despite this challenge. Reply to this comment 2 weeks ago
