Texas Underground

The idle monkey trainer took a short getaway in San Antonio, home of the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and a number of other historically important Spanish missions. Having thus spent Saturday, and with fond memories of a fantastic dinner at the Fig Tree restaurant, I ventured into the low hills and even lower caverns of the Texas Hill Country.

Completely ignorant of the many commercial and other caves of the Hill Country, I managed to locate the oldest commercially operated caverns in the area. Cascade Caverns is located at the end of the aptly and not coincidentally named Cascade Caverns Road off of I-10 about 20 minutes west of San Antonio.

The first occupants, or at least users, of the cave were the local Native Americans. They were famously followed by a German recluse who lived in the cave during the Texas independence movement. In the 1930's several buildings were built directly above the caverns, including the original owner's residence, which utilized a natural vent from the cavern about 100 feet below to help ventilate the house. These buildings, along with the caverns themselves, suffered severe flooding in 2002 and stand unused.

The caverns were named for the waterfall that helped form the caverns and can be seen at the end of the tour. (Above) During the 1940's the "cathedral" was used for religious services when the waterfall had dried up. Water started flowing again and the alter was removed after a few years of use.

The cavern floods often, and the operators run a pump every 45 minutes just to keep it dry enough to have visitors. The constant water flow keeps the cavern "alive" with a number of formations continually growing, like the below formation, which started following the 2002 flood.

In addition to human visitors, the cave is home to a unique species of salamander found only in this particular cave. Obviously with such a limited territory, it is an endangered species. They are also incredibly hard to spot. Fortunately the guide is sharp-eyed and knows what to look for. I certainly would have been unable to spot the two-inch, camouflaged little guy. This being Texas Hill Country, there are also a couple of resident bat species. (Not shown)

The caverns, and surrounding grounds, have over the years yielded a large number dinosaur fossils, including a mastodon tusk and femur embedded in the cave's floor and wall respectively. All of which goes some way to explaining the T-rex (currently under restoration) that guards the parking lot and entrance.

The final frontier

On the grounds of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA has a small heard of cattle, managed by a local group.

I think we all know where this is going:

Panama City

Panama City has been around since the Spanish decided it was a good location in the 16th century. As they plundered South America, the Spanish used the area as a transit point to reach their ships on the Atlantic side of the isthmus. In the early 17th century the city was sacked and razed by an English pirate.

Following that, the city was moved close to what is now the opening to the Panama Canal. Now a UN World Heritage site, the old city is being renovated (from the inside) by well off Panamanians and foreign investors.

The new business district is also seeing a large amount of development as North American and European retirees flock to the tropics and lower cost of living. The tourism authority obviously encourages such moves, as well as medical tourism. (The official hotel room tourist magazines featured articles and prominent advertisements for the reasonably priced treatments, primarily of a voluntary nature.)

Getting around

The idle monkey trainer has racked up a lot of air miles over the past few weeks. Waikiki did not produce any monkeys in need of training, but I did have fun with this guy.

Houston Aeros Hockey

The Idle Monkey Trainer and a couple of associates (also idle, but not monkey trainers) headed to the Toyota Center Saturday night to catch the third game of the season between the Texas Stars and the Houston Aeros.

To be honest, I have no idea where these two teams sit in relation to others in the AHL. (Since it is the Stars inaugural season, it would seem likely there is not much rivalry established yet. At least not between the teams. There might be some between their home cities.) It doesn't really matter to me. It was just good to see some live hockey.

The crowd looked sparse at the arena, despite having the nose-bleed sections covered to make the place look and feel smaller. Still, the small crowd was dedicated to the home team and had the cowbells to prove it. (The team has a promotional night on which the first three thousand fans get a free team cowbell.) Regrettably, we missed the Micheal Jackson Tribute night on Friday, when the first three thousand fans got one white sequined glove. All I got was a team calender.

Our seats on the Aeros' attack end ensured that we got to see every goal. Sadly for the home crowd, four of those came in the second period for the Stars, chasing the Aeros' starting goalie. We also got to see the Aeros' only goal in the third, and the glass pushed out of the corner when the Aeros' defenseman rode a Stars' forward hard into the corner. Sadly for us, that was the most inspirational thing we witnessed from the Aeros, who seemed more content to pass than shoot (getting out shot 11 to 23 by the end of the second). They turned it up in the third, pulling their goalie with seven minutes left, only putting him back in after the empty-netter the Stars posted with about four minutes left.

(Photographs may be posted later. There is some sort of technical issue that is currently preventing it.)

Patron Saint

The Saint Arnold brewery was named for the patron saint of brewing, a man who taught people that how to brew beer, which would keep them from drinking tainted water. For that, apparently, he was made a saint.

Each Saturday afternoon, the brewery opens their doors to the public for a two hour "tour" and tasting. The tour costs five dollars, and visitors are given a small tasting glass and four tokens to fill the glass. Visitors are allowed to trade up their glasses, receiving a dollar off the larger logo glasses. So long as the glass you're holding has the brewery's logo on it, you can get it filled for a single token. On subsequent visits, you are allowed to bring your previously purchased glassware. Five dollars for a souvenir glass and four fresh, quality beers is quite a deal.

The "tour" starts at a little after 1:00 p.m. and consists of a short speech going over the history of the brewery, and perhaps something about their beers. To be honest, standing in the vast warehouse it was really difficult to discern anything that was said. Following the talk, the tasting begins. Tasting stations (also known as tapped kegs) are set up around the hall, with their various brews on offer. At 3:00 p.m. the tasting ends and the hall clears out.

The brewery is scheduled to be moved to a new location, a bit closer to downtown Houston. Hopefully the tastings will continue.

For more information on the brewery and tastings, visit the Saint Arnold Brewing Company homepage.

Monkeys Found!

The Idle Monkey Trainer finally found some monkeys. Sadly for me -- and perhaps the primates -- they were already in confinements and docile.

Or, perhaps, just lethargic. In either case, the monkey trainer remains idle. As were most of the animals in the hot Houston afternoon.

Take me out to the ball game...deep in the heart of Texas

On a beautiful, if wickedly hot, Sunday afternoon I ventured out to watch the Houston Astros take on the Philadelphia Phillies. I am not a huge baseball fan. I cannot discuss the sport with any depth or insight. But I do enjoy getting out to a stadium every once in a while, to sit in the sun, have a couple of overpriced beers, and see a game. At Minute Maid Park, however, despite (or in part because of) the sunny day and heat and 40% chance of rain, the roof was closed and air conditioning turned up high. Which, was probably just as well. The heat and 24oz. beers would not have mixed well.

One singularity of seeing a game in Houston is that in addition to the now requisite God Bless America, and the traditional Take Me Out to the Ball Game, comes a rendition of Deep in the Heart of Texas. All complete with lyrics, of course.

Also, there is, for some reason I could not find, a rabbit.

Goliad State Park

Over a hot weekend, the Idle Monkey Trainer took to the road -- and was reminded what it is like to drive across certain parts of the United States: long, flat, an occasional cow to glance at along the way.

About three hours from Houston is the small town of Goliad, sitting along the banks of the San Antonio River. It was near here in 1749 that the Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga was moved from the coast.

The Mission was the center of a huge cattle ranch that supplied Spanish colonial areas as far as Louisiana. The Mission also tried its best to convert the local population, who would take on elements they thought beneficial, and ignored those they did not, much to the frustration of the Spanish. The Mission is now the focus of Goliad State Park, which also hosts a memorial to Colonel Fannin, killed in the Mexican-American war along with hundreds of his men, the birthplace of General Ignacio Zaragoza's Birthplace, who commanded a unit of the Mexican army that defeated the French and whose victory is celebrated on May 5th each year.

It is also the home of the Presidio La Bahia.

The Presidio is where the declaration for independence of the Republic of Texas was signed, on the alter, which is still used in services each week. Nine different flags have flown over the Presidio -- Spanish, Mexican, Texan and the U.S.

Brazos Bend State Park

The Idle Monkey Trainer has relocated for a few months to America's fourth largest, and according to fitness magazine, sixth fattest city. Always in persuit of monkeys, and armed with the knowledge that Texas is a monkey-less place, I nevertheless ventured out to Brazos Bend to see what wildlife dwells.

This 50,000 acre wildlife refuge lies just an hour south of Houston, and is located on what used to be a part of the George Ranch. The bayous and lakes in the park are famously home to a multitude of American Aligators.

As with many a Texas afternoon, an oppressive heat was followed quickly by a thunderstorm, which quickly moved on, leaving in its wake soaked bipeds and their dogs. Wet poodle, apparently, will entice these normally stationary hunters to venture out of the water.

No dogs were harmed.

Wandering through the park with a friend who had been there frequently, but never witnessed any of the aligators in actual stalking behavior, I endevoured to find out how many of the creatures lived in the park. He responded that on his previous visits he had seen anywhere from three to 60 in one day, and so positited the true number to be in this range. I saw maybe two dozen, including the one-year-olds at the visitor center. (Which you can touch, while the very energetic volunteer tells you all about the life of the American Aligator in the park.)

The Idle Monkey Trainer was also fortunate enough to stop by the visitor center at the date and time that the snakes received their fortnightly feeding.

A return visit may be necessary. Though, I think I'll have to wait a couple weeks to be so fortunate.

Nokogiriyama, Chiba

The idle monkey trainer visited Nokogiriyama (Saw Mountain) in Chiba prefecture in the last week of May (and is timely posting this now) in search of wild monkeys. Sadly, there were none to be found.

What was to be found is a large temple and shrine complex sprawling across the jagged ridge of the mountain. From the top of the rope way (by the way, if you want to surprise the employees of the rope way, ask how you can walk up) you are greeted with a small shrine at the top.

Following the ridge line down a bit, you come to the actual complex that is home to Japan's largest Buddha statue, carved out of the mountainside. The soft stone has eroded and been repaired a number of times.

On the other side of the ridge, carved deep into a recess is another impressive wall.

What I found more impressive, however, was the myriad small statues tucked into recesses and caves, or sitting on ledges overlooking the walking paths, that are scattered throughout the complex. Most of these are now headless, decapitated during the Meiji era because the then government thought they were disrespectful and should not be worshipped.

Looking down on passers-by

Sometimes just the head awaits visitors.

三社祭 2009 Sanja Matsuri

Another year, another Sanja Matsuri. 

Once again, the idle monkey trainer got out for the fun and exercise of trying to carry a two ton portable shrine through the narrow streets of Asakusa. (Full disclosure, the mikoshi above was the smaller and more comfortable of the two carried that day.) And somehow among all the photographs taken of a Westerner in matsuri clothing, the idle monkey trainer managed to get the photograph below.

This just in...

I think this rather speaks for itself. (From the Japan Times)

ALTAR OR BUST



Triumph model Hiromi Nishiuchi poses in a "konkatsu" (husband-hunting) bra in Tokyo on Wednesday. The bra sports a clock that allows the wearer to set an engagement date. Unless an engagement ring is inserted into the ring holder, the clock will count down to the appointed date and set off the alarm. Konkatsu has become a buzzword for women seeking security amid these recessionary times. The bra is not for sale. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO

TSHA at the Korea Cup 2009

The TSHA started this year’s Korea tournament in less-than-stellar fashion, dropping 6 – 1 to the Selects on a cloudy Seoul morning. Following a team meeting that lasted the entire interval between games, the TSHA came out much better against the Geckos, but still fell 3 – 1. In game three, TSHA took on the All-Drinkers, a band of pink-clad drunks, and pulled out a 4 – 0 shutout by taking advantage of some miscues that should have really gone the other way. This win was enough, however, to propel TSHA out of the first round and into the quarter finals, despite dropping the final game of the opening round in a close-fought outing with rain beginning to make things a bit slick. 

In the quarterfinals TSHA faced off against pool-B top seed Suwon, winner of the past three cups and one of the favorites to win this year. With the rain coming down and large puddles forming, the TSHA came out strong with Sean opening the scoring and giving TSHA the lead. Suwon was not to give up, however, and came back to tie it up a few minutes later. By this point the conditions had worsened, and despite this playing to TSHA’s strength as “mudders”, Dave went down hard and had to leave the game with a broken wrist. At the whistle, the teams were tied at one a piece and faced a shootout.  

Gord led off for the TSHA, shooting first, but getting stopped by the Suwon goalie. Suwon then scored on their first attempt. Chad answered on TSHA’s second shot, holding on to the ball to the last second before putting it in. Suwon’s Scott succumbed to the wet conditions and failed to find the back of the net. Sean for TSHA came down and dribbled the ball through the legs of the Suwon goalie to put TSHA up 2 – 1 in the shootout. Eric then came up with another big save and TSHA knocked Suwon from the competition.  

In the semi-finals the Selects and TSHA faced each other again. Conditions on the rink continued to decline, with small ponds forming in the corners and along the boards. Clearing attempts and shots were often accompanied by sprays of water. Perhaps needless to say, it was a very different game from the first meeting of these two teams. Slipping and sliding, the Selects managed a goal, and were able to hold on to the lead. With only a few seconds left, TSHA was putting the pressure on, and Chad was able to pull the ball away from a diving Selects goalie behind the net, but TSHA could not get a handle on it in the crowd in front of the net and the Selects were able to clear it out to the red line as time expired. The Selects would go on to defeat the Geckos in the finals to secure the Cup.

More photographs and details of ther tournament are to be found on the Tokyo Street Hockey Association website. 

I went to North Korea

Following Japan’s defeat in WWII, the Korean peninsula was effectively divided between a Western-backed government south of the 38th parallel and a Soviet-backed government to the north. In a few short years, the North would launch an attack on the South in an attempt to unify the peninsula. It nearly worked, until intervention by US and others pushed the communists back to nearly China, who then entered the fray, helping to return the line of control close to the 38th parallel. In 1953 an armistice was signed and a military demarcation line established that split the Koreas in two. IT was also decided there would be a four-kilometer wide demilitarized zone established to keep the armies apart. This heavily mined zone now draws millions of tourists per year – on both sides of the border. 

Visiting Seoul, it is hard to imagine this is a country still at war. The city could easily be described as a version of Tokyo stuck in the eighties (though without the property boom). It is a modern, prosperous city that happens to be located an hour from the DMZ and its somewhat hostile neighbor. The bus from Seoul’s luxurious Lotte Hotel travels along the Han River, which runs through the middle of Seoul. At this point, the river is a stretch of green, dotted with baseball and soccer fields. Just at the northern edge of the city, however, the riverside changes character, with razor wire and guard towers giving the first visual evidence that the country remains on edge. Civilians are not allowed access to the river here, because as recently as the eighties the North was sending squads of assassins down it toward Seoul.  

Warming overtures made by the South in recent years are in physical evidence inside the DMZ, with a new (yet unused) train station and warehouse park to serve Hyundai’s ambitious industrial park just across the border. There is an odd air about strolling around an obviously fairly new and entirely unused train station. From the observatory at the top of a nearby hill, one gets a good look into North Korea, at the industrial park, and Propaganda Village as it is called from the southern side of the line.  The South erected a large flag and tower in Freedom Village, so the North had to top them with an even larger tower and flag. (Pictured below from the JSA)

At least four tunnels under the border have been discovered, each angled down at three degrees toward the north to drain water away. The third tunnel to be discovered is part of the tourist route, complete with train to ferry visitors up and down (there is an optional and cheap tour walking access as well). Inside the low, narrow tunnel are descriptions of their discovery and presumed use.  

The last of the morning session was a visit to Freedom Bridge -- blocked off now -- but built exclusively for the exchange of POWs.  Later we were to get a view of the Bridge of No Return, which crosses a small river in the JSA. POWs returning for both sides were given the option, at the center of the bridge, to choose the side on which they would spend the rest of their lives, hence the name.

The afternoon session took us back into the DMZ and this time into the Joint Security Area (JSA), the UN-administered zone that includes Panmunjeom (Peace Village) and the buildings where members from North and South delegations can sit down to talk. Inside the JSA there is an almost palpable tension in the air, particularly at Panmunjeom. We were reminded that tensions were higher because of recent moves by the North to shut down access to the industrial park and demand re-negotiations of the contracts for workers, despite those not being due for a few years. The recent missile launch also added to tensions. The drive from the briefing room to the Peace Village is not long, and passes Freedom Village, a civilian residence of a few hundred people inside the JSA, where residence pay no tax, are exempt from conscription and must follow strict curfews, while they grow rice and ginseng. Along the road are more checkpoints, as well as the signs that warn of mines that are ubiquitous in the DMZ, and blocks of concrete above the road, rigged with explosives to buy a few-minutes’ time if tanks come rumbling down from the North.  

In the Peace Village you are told to behave like (presumably well-behaved) elementary students, and walk two by two, following all instructions. There is tension in the air, given off by the stern mannerisms of the ROK MPs that flank the procession and keep watch inside the buildings. The US MP who guided us was only slightly more conversational at one point. You are told not to point or even smile at the North Korean soldiers that you see, and definitely not to speak to them if they try to speak to you. On our visit we could only see one, standing guard in front of their main building, occasionally getting binoculars to view us in the pagoda. (Pictured at top) It is certain, though, that many others were watching from the windows of the buildings.

Back in time - sort of

Tokyo has an uncountable (at least for an idle monkey trainer) number of museums scattered throughout the city. Last weekend, the Idle Monkey Trainer wandered over to one such museum, the Fukugawa Edo Museum. This is a rather modest musuem of a recreated Edo-era piece of town. The indoor, life-size model shows several typical buildings and streets as they would have been laid out in the 19th century.


Even at that point the city held close to a million people, about half of whom were samurai-class, in rather tight quarters. The above is a the typical room of a married couple (minus one wall). Volunteer guides are eager to escort visitors around the museum floor, offering a bit of history and quizzing visitors. Incidentally, during the explanation of this house, the answer to the guide's question about where they kept their underwear is not, "They didn't wear any?"


The museum comes complete with canal and boat (a main form of public transport on what was already "reclaimed" land.*) And, this being spring in Japan, nowhere is complete without blooming cherry trees.



Those interested in seeing a bit of the way Edo was, will find the musuem a short walk from Kiyosumi-shirakawa station on the Oedo and Hanzomon subway lines. Admission is 300 yen for adults.


Also just a couple minutes from the station is Kiyosumi Teien (Garden). The garden is full of large stones, providing pathways through the shallower portions of the pond and allowing up close encounters with what appear to be well-nourished but still very hungry koi (carp).
As with any pond or garden in Japan, there are also plenty of turtles, some balancing.
There is also an open space away from the pond which has an enourmous cherry tree and memorial for the Japanese poet Basho, with one of his poems carved in a large stone. "The sound of a frog, jumping into an old pond."
In many ways it is quite typical of Japanese gardens, but offers a nice retreat from the constant concrete buzz of modern Tokyo for 150 yen admission.

Sakura Blossoms and Booze

Spring has arrived in Japan, and although it is a little early for the sakura blossoms, the parks are filling with people getting drunk under the trees.

This is, of course, the time of year that people look forward to for months. Preparations can be very involved or spur of the moment. From April 1st it will also be the responsibility of the newly graduated employees to hang out in parks to hold spaces until their new bosses and co-workers get out of work and can get drunk under the trees.

It's also the time of year when you get out your pink dress, fuzzy paws and camp out and dance by mountains of garbage. Women, too. 

Special thanks to the newly certified doctor who slept in the park overnight to hold on to the prime spot in Ueno Park next to the dancer.

Enoshima, Kanagawa

On Enoshima, an island sitting only about an hour south of central Tokyo, there is a set of caves containing various carvings of Buddhist statues. Access to the caves is obtained by either walking over the island or by taking a boat from the causeway. The boat costs 400 yen per person. Walking is free, unless you opt for the escalators to the top, which run 750 yen for use of all three, and to reach the caves you still need to walk down the other side.

 

The approach and entrance to the caves have obviously seen some fairly recent renovation, with a wide concrete bridge arcing around the cliff faces and keeping visitors safely above the rocky flats (and more interesting things). Along the cliff wall the old access path is still visible (though crumbling) and looked a lot more fun. Once inside, vertical fish tanks (sans fish, but the first sporting a little blue plastic dolphin) line a tunnel to the main cave. There are also some historic photos of some early tourists to the site adorning the walls.

 

The 500 yen entrance fee includes the use of a thin candle lamp, the necessity of which the idle monkey trainer failed to see. The main cave itself is relatively well lighted. Plexiglas separates the statues and the lighting from the visitors. The ceilings are low, and covered with one of three things: wire caging to keep rocks from falling on people, Plexiglas to keep water from falling on people, or foam padding to keep people off the roof. All are secured with large, exposed bolts, so caution is necessary. A good deal of the time you are in the caves will be spent in a hunched position if you are over four-feet tall, more if you’re over six-feet tall. The cave system is not very extensive, however, so it is not a long time.

 

The second cave is even more disappointing. In its farthest reaches is a plastic-looking dragon (safely in a fenced area), surrounded by black lights and phosphorous rocks. Despite the natural occurrence of phosphorous rocks in the area, the bright colors of these rocks appear false.

 

The tidal pools that can be accessed along the rocky and wind-swept coast near the cave entrance turned out to be largely devoid of life apart from some plants. I did spot one, very small, dead crab. (There was more live sea life seen at the sushi shop during dinner than witnessed while on the island.) Still, the few merchants along the route sell (or perhaps rent) small nets for kids to use in trying to capture anything they might find. There were a few intrepid youngsters giving it a try, but not seeming to have much luck.