commit d04366c88b9329cf99b101cfe08f535b040fe2e3 parent b7278c66e7d6b37da3ab23afbf9c42ee76fd2ccf Author: Chris Bracken <chris@bracken.jp> Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 01:02:14 -0700 Publish site Diffstat:
46 files changed, 426 insertions(+), 225 deletions(-)
diff --git a/2001/08/chelem-yucatan-mexico/index.html b/2001/08/chelem-yucatan-mexico/index.html @@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ straight out and say it: if someone ever tells you a story about the amazing beaches at Yucalpetén, just back away slowly and do not make any sudden moves—the person you are talking to has probably escaped from an asylum.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-08-31-chelem.jpg" - alt="Main street of Chelem"/><figcaption> - <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="Main street of Chelem"><figcaption> + <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>We wandered around for a few hours, but we never did find a beach in decent diff --git a/2001/08/merida-yucatan-mexico/index.html b/2001/08/merida-yucatan-mexico/index.html @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ to the bus station, it was 9 pm, so after checking out the schedule and booking tickets, there was just enough time to grab some dinner and get some sleep before heading off to Mérida first thing the next morning.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-08-17-cathedral.jpg" - alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."/> + alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."> </figure> <p>Sitting in a Mexican bus station is an activity in itself. Drenched in sweat diff --git a/2001/08/progreso-yucatan-mexico/index.html b/2001/08/progreso-yucatan-mexico/index.html @@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ puts Canadian beaches to shame. On a hot weekend, Progreso makes a fun day trip. The wind keeps you cool, and as long as you keep ordering drinks, the food comes free at the palapa huts on the beach.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-08-31-palapa.jpg" - alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small 'lancha' boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso's long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."/> + alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small 'lancha' boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso's long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>The one thing that is impossible to miss in Progreso is the pier. At its diff --git a/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/index.html b/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/index.html @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/">Quest for a Hammock</a></h2> 28 August 2001 <figure><img src="/post/2001-08-28-old-door.jpg" - alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."/> + alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."> </figure> <p>In Mérida, most people sleep in hammocks. Walk down any residential street and diff --git a/2001/09/dzibilchaltun-yucatan-mexico/index.html b/2001/09/dzibilchaltun-yucatan-mexico/index.html @@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ important centre in the ancient world of the Maya. The name means ‘The place with writing on the stones.’</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-09-11-munecas-door.jpg" - alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."/> + alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>Dzibilchaltún covers an area of about 16 square kilometres, in which there are @@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ there as offerings to the gods. At the other end is a courtyard, a pyramid, a ball court and the cenote, as well as an open chapel that was constructed during the Colonial era, in the late 16th and early 17th century.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-09-11-munecas-outside.jpg" - alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."/> + alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."> </figure> <p>The Temple of the Seven Dolls is probably the most interesting part of the diff --git a/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/index.html b/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/index.html @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/">Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, México</a></h2> 06 September 2001 <figure><img src="/post/2001-09-06-lancha.jpg" - alt="A small 'lancha' boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."/> + alt="A small 'lancha' boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."> </figure> <blockquote> @@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ turned into a party town full of drunken gringos. The locals appear to want to keep it this way, and the local San Francisco store stops selling alcohol at 8:30 or 9:00 in the evenings.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-09-06-sunset.jpg" - alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun's light on the ocean."/> + alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun's light on the ocean."> </figure> <p>From the downtown Cancún bus station, we grabbed the Route 13 bus north along @@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ walkways above the huge walled off section of ocean where the largest of the turtles swim, and according to the guy who showed us around, if you fall in, ’te comen!’, ’they eat you!'.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-09-06-skeletons.jpg" - alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."/> + alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."> </figure> <p>The ruins of Mundaca’s fortress are in the central part of the island, and if @@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ life-jacket wearing, water spitting drowners. I did get rammed in the legs by a nurse shark though. It felt like sandpaper and was among the creepier sensations I have experienced in my life.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-09-06-nativity-scene.jpg" - alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."/> + alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."> </figure> <p>There are also some Mayan ruins at the south tip of the island, though there’s diff --git a/2001/12/chichen-itza-yucatan-mexico/index.html b/2001/12/chichen-itza-yucatan-mexico/index.html @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ in Meso-America. The close proximity of the ruins to Cancún and the size of some of the structures have made these the most famous Mayan ruins in the country.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-26-el-castillo.jpg" - alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."/> + alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."> </figure> <p>The image that most people associate with Chichen Itzá is <em>El Castillo</em>. The @@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ hot and humid, not to mention dark, but the climb is worth it. Eventually, at the top of the staircase, if you’re lucky or pushy enough, you can catch a glimpse of a jewel-encrusted jaguar altar, used by the Maya for sacrifices.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-26-ball-court.jpg" - alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."/> + alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."> </figure> <p>The Ball Court is another feat of engineering. The walls are each approximately diff --git a/2001/12/palenque-chiapas-mexico/index.html b/2001/12/palenque-chiapas-mexico/index.html @@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ unstable state during the past 10 years, it is also home to some of the most incredible scenery, archaeological sites and indigenous culture in the country.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-18-temple-of-inscriptions.jpg" - alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."/> + alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."> </figure> <p>The town of Palenque sits only a few minutes by bike, foot or bus from the diff --git a/2001/12/san-cristobal-de-las-casas-chiapas-mexico/index.html b/2001/12/san-cristobal-de-las-casas-chiapas-mexico/index.html @@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ day-trips to the surrounding villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán—indigenous villages comprising the Tzotzil and Tzeltal indigenous groups respectively.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-21-plaza.jpg" - alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."/> + alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."> </figure> <p>In town, we met a law student named Luís who took a group of us to the @@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ sell them at the markets and on the street. The textiles are all made from hand, from the thread, to hand-weaving and embroidering. Typically, a medium-sized blanket takes two to three weeks to produce.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-21-beans.jpg" - alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"/> + alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"> </figure> <p>Back in San Cristóbal, we spent a few days visiting the markets and wandering diff --git a/2001/12/tulum-quintana-roo-mexico/index.html b/2001/12/tulum-quintana-roo-mexico/index.html @@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ stops along a long, empty stretch of highway. We grabbed a plate of up) was blue. Sort of an off-grey blue. It tasted like milk mixed with dishwater.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-24-tulum.jpg" - alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."/> + alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."> </figure> <p>The best time to see the ruins is, without a doubt, sunrise. The ruins at diff --git a/2001/12/valladolid-yucatan-mexico/index.html b/2001/12/valladolid-yucatan-mexico/index.html @@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ traditional <em>huipiles</em> near the plaza downtown. The city is still roughly centered on the <em>Cenote Zací</em> that was the ceremonial centre of the original Mayan settlement.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-27-cenote.jpg" - alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."/> + alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."> </figure> <p>The cenote is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. To get to it, you hike @@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ who run through the streets every morning at 5 am. The government of Spain has apparently deemed Valladolid to be one of the most Spanish cities in the Americas, and donates money to help in its preservation.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-27-cenote-top.jpg" - alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."/> + alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."> </figure> <p>Probably the most exciting thing that happened while we were there was the @@ -104,9 +104,9 @@ the country that November when Francisco Madero flew across the border into Piedras Negras, Coahuila. The revolution wasn’t over until 1920; but as they say, the opening chapters were written in blood, here in Valladolid.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2001-12-27-truck.jpg" - alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you'll look like this too)."/><figcaption> - <h4>'It hurts more to walk'</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you'll look like this too)."><figcaption> + <h4>'It hurts more to walk'</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>Unhappy with Spanish control of a land they considered their own, a small band diff --git a/2002/03/la-habana/index.html b/2002/03/la-habana/index.html @@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ beautiful and most run down cities in the world. It’s hard to imagine how things could be any worse, or any better given the Cuba’s political past and present.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-street.jpg" - alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"/> + alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"> </figure> <p>Havana, along with the rest of Cuba, is the way it is almost purely because of @@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ depth, specifically focusing on US-Cuban relations, the multi-volume set <em>A History of Cuba and its relations with The United States</em> by Philip S. Foner is excellent.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-door.jpg" - alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"/> + alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"> </figure> <h3 id="arrival-in-havana">Arrival in Havana</h3> @@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ some amazing runs with a broom handle baseball bat. If you visit Cuba, something that’ll make any kid’s day is a baseball. Pencils and pens make nice gifts too.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2002-03-19-vintage-american-cars.jpg" - alt="Vintage American cars"/> + alt="Vintage American cars"> </figure> <h3 id="dollars-and-pesos">Dollars and Pesos</h3> @@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ rations, and can be obtained with your ration card at certain shops. When you can find it, food sold on the street is usually in pesos. Food in paladares¹, hotels, and touristy places is almost universally in dollars.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2002-03-19-camelo.jpg" - alt="Camelo bus"/> + alt="Camelo bus"> </figure> <h3 id="the-rich-and-the-poor">The Rich and the Poor</h3> diff --git a/2002/03/trinidad-sancti-spiritus-cuba/index.html b/2002/03/trinidad-sancti-spiritus-cuba/index.html @@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ pirates. The buildings are in incredibly good shape for their age, most of which are at least two centuries old. It’s not too tough to see why Trinidad is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2002-03-21-trinidad-street.jpg" - alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"/> + alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"> </figure> <p>Trinidad is about five hours from Havana by bus, and as with everything in @@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ cobblestone streets in search of pizza, and the evenings falling asleep to the sound of Cuban salsas, merengues, and cha cha chas drifting through the window from La Casa de la Trova across the street.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2002-03-21-horse-cart.jpg" - alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"/> + alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"> </figure> <p>While most of the old town is centered around the main plaza, cathedral, and diff --git a/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/index.html b/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/index.html @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/">Biking Japan 2003</a></h2> 17 August 2003 <figure><img src="/post/2003-08-17-cycling-in-japan.jpg" - alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"/> + alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"> </figure> <p>The plan was to travel from Osaka north to the Japan Sea, northeast along the @@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ sure my leg was broken, I lay there for a few minutes contemplating the resounding success of my bike trip thusfar while the last of the Poccari Sweat drained out of my water bottles into my shoes.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2003-08-17-fireworks-in-fukui.jpg" - alt="Fireworks in Fukui"/> + alt="Fireworks in Fukui"> </figure> <p>Suffice to say that the rest of the day went uphill from there (both literally @@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ Kansai-dialect. This was reinforced over and over throughout my ride by children hanging out of car windows waving and shouting “ganbare!” at the top of their lungs.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2003-08-17-lining-up-for-okonomiyaki.jpg" - alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"/> + alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"> </figure> <p>Eventually, I wound my way up through the mountains to Fukui, where I almost @@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ takes just about two hours. The train tore through the edge of the hurricane at breakneck speed and we were in Tokyo on schedule to the minute. You can’t help but love the Japanese train system.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2003-08-17-akasaka.jpg" - alt="Akasaka at night"/> + alt="Akasaka at night"> </figure> <p>Met up with Yasuko in Tokyo, and we spent the week bumming around town and diff --git a/2004/11/apartment-hunting/index.html b/2004/11/apartment-hunting/index.html @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ here’s the view from my balcony here in Ebisu. The upside is that Ebisu is an incredibly central location in Tokyo with a ton of great restaurants; the downside is that tea costs 735 yen at the coffee shop across the way.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2004-11-04-balcony.jpg" - alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> </article> diff --git a/2004/12/fresh-snow/index.html b/2004/12/fresh-snow/index.html @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/2004/12/fresh-snow/">Fresh Snow</a></h2> 30 December 2004 <figure><img src="/post/2004-12-30-fuji.jpg" - alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> <p>I came into work to a nice surprise this morning. Sipping on hot green tea, we diff --git a/2005/01/akemashite-omedetou/index.html b/2005/01/akemashite-omedetou/index.html @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ <h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/2005/01/akemashite-omedetou/">明けましておめでとうございます！</a></h2> 05 January 2005 <figure><img src="/post/2005-01-05-yasaka.jpg" - alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"/> + alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"> </figure> <p>今年も宜しくお願いします！Jumped on the Nozomi Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama diff --git a/2005/03/huh/index.html b/2005/03/huh/index.html @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <p>He was gone from my view before I was able to catch a second glance, though.</p> <p><em>Update (2008-03-20):</em> I’m glad he’s <a href="http://jiyugaoka.keizai.biz/headline/171/">not just a figment of my imagination</a>.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2005-03-29-gakugeidai.jpg" - alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"/> + alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"> </figure> <p><em>Update (2011-04-27):</em> Found a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DbvxgmEAtE">YouTube video</a>.</p> diff --git a/2005/04/sakura-fubuki/index.html b/2005/04/sakura-fubuki/index.html @@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ days, the cherry blossom trees erupted into bloom. The Japanese take this opportunity to throw impromptu picnics, dinners, and random sake-drinking events under <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom">sakura</a> trees all across the country.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2005-04-09-sakura.jpg" - alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"/> + alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"> </figure> <p>The street behind my building is lined with sakura for as far as you can walk, diff --git a/2007/05/google-reader/index.html b/2007/05/google-reader/index.html @@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ items, that it hit me I hadn’t used it in almost a month. So while I look forward to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hicksdesign/210309912/">NetNewsWire 3</a>, I’m sticking to Google Reader for the time being.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2007-05-30-google-reader.png" - alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"/> + alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"> </figure> <p>I also discovered that my prime news reading hours are apparently 6:30am to diff --git a/2007/06/pr6/index.html b/2007/06/pr6/index.html @@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ limit of its reach.</p> your nearest <a href="https://www.scullinsteel.com/apple2/#dos33master">emulator</a>, and banging in a <code>call -151</code> for old time’s sake.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2007-06-06-happy_birthday.png" - alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"/> + alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"> </figure> </article> diff --git a/2011/04/installing-mozc-on-ubuntu/index.html b/2011/04/installing-mozc-on-ubuntu/index.html @@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common diff --git a/2011/04/winter-sounds-in-japan/index.html b/2011/04/winter-sounds-in-japan/index.html @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Canadian winters is how drafty Japanese houses tend to be, and the distinct lack of central heating. All across the country the appearance of convenience store oden and yaki-imo wagons mark the arrival of winter.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2011-04-25-yakiimo.jpg" - alt="Yaki-imo wagon"/> + alt="Yaki-imo wagon"> </figure> <p>Yaki-imo are sweet potatoes roasted over flames in wood fired ovens in small @@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ about yaki-imo is that the sellers sing a very distinct <a href="https://www.you song</a>. They typically make the rounds until just after dinner time, and I always found their song a bit eerie drifting though the dark streets.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2011-04-25-hinoyoujin.jpg" - alt="Hi no Yōjin"/> + alt="Hi no Yōjin"> </figure> <p>Central heating is near non-existent in Japan, one result of which is the diff --git a/2011/05/moving-to-us-letter-of-compliance/index.html b/2011/05/moving-to-us-letter-of-compliance/index.html @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart.</p> <figure><img src="/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" - alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"/> + alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> </figure> <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of diff --git a/index.xml b/index.xml @@ -831,7 +831,7 @@ selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" - alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"/> + alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> </figure> <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of @@ -964,7 +964,7 @@ Canadian winters is how drafty Japanese houses tend to be, and the distinct lack of central heating. All across the country the appearance of convenience store oden and yaki-imo wagons mark the arrival of winter.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-25-yakiimo.jpg" - alt="Yaki-imo wagon"/> + alt="Yaki-imo wagon"> </figure> <p>Yaki-imo are sweet potatoes roasted over flames in wood fired ovens in small @@ -974,7 +974,7 @@ about yaki-imo is that the sellers sing a very distinct <a href="https:// song</a>. They typically make the rounds until just after dinner time, and I always found their song a bit eerie drifting though the dark streets.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-25-hinoyoujin.jpg" - alt="Hi no Yōjin"/> + alt="Hi no Yōjin"> </figure> <p>Central heating is near non-existent in Japan, one result of which is the @@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common @@ -1207,7 +1207,7 @@ limit of its reach.</p> your nearest <a href="https://www.scullinsteel.com/apple2/#dos33master">emulator</a>, and banging in a <code>call -151</code> for old time&rsquo;s sake.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-06-06-happy_birthday.png" - alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"/> + alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"> </figure> </description> @@ -1237,7 +1237,7 @@ items, that it hit me I hadn&rsquo;t used it in almost a month. So while I l forward to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hicksdesign/210309912/">NetNewsWire 3</a>, I&rsquo;m sticking to Google Reader for the time being.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-05-30-google-reader.png" - alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"/> + alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"> </figure> <p>I also discovered that my prime news reading hours are apparently 6:30am to @@ -1517,7 +1517,7 @@ days, the cherry blossom trees erupted into bloom. The Japanese take this opportunity to throw impromptu picnics, dinners, and random sake-drinking events under <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom">sakura</a> trees all across the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-04-09-sakura.jpg" - alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"/> + alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"> </figure> <p>The street behind my building is lined with sakura for as far as you can walk, @@ -1543,7 +1543,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <p>He was gone from my view before I was able to catch a second glance, though.</p> <p><em>Update (2008-03-20):</em> I’m glad he’s <a href="http://jiyugaoka.keizai.biz/headline/171/">not just a figment of my imagination</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-03-29-gakugeidai.jpg" - alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"/> + alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"> </figure> <p><em>Update (2011-04-27):</em> Found a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DbvxgmEAtE">YouTube video</a>.</p> @@ -1557,7 +1557,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2005/01/akemashite-omedetou/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-01-05-yasaka.jpg" - alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"/> + alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"> </figure> <p>今年も宜しくお願いします！Jumped on the Nozomi Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama @@ -1581,7 +1581,7 @@ booked to 120%.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2004/12/fresh-snow/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2004-12-30-fuji.jpg" - alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> <p>I came into work to a nice surprise this morning. Sipping on hot green tea, we @@ -1624,7 +1624,7 @@ here’s the view from my balcony here in Ebisu. The upside is that Ebisu is an incredibly central location in Tokyo with a ton of great restaurants; the downside is that tea costs 735 yen at the coffee shop across the way.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2004-11-04-balcony.jpg" - alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> </description> @@ -1859,7 +1859,7 @@ off half a backflip.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-cycling-in-japan.jpg" - alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"/> + alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"> </figure> <p>The plan was to travel from Osaka north to the Japan Sea, northeast along the @@ -1895,7 +1895,7 @@ sure my leg was broken, I lay there for a few minutes contemplating the resounding success of my bike trip thusfar while the last of the Poccari Sweat drained out of my water bottles into my shoes.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-fireworks-in-fukui.jpg" - alt="Fireworks in Fukui"/> + alt="Fireworks in Fukui"> </figure> <p>Suffice to say that the rest of the day went uphill from there (both literally @@ -1941,7 +1941,7 @@ Kansai-dialect. This was reinforced over and over throughout my ride by children hanging out of car windows waving and shouting &ldquo;ganbare!&rdquo; at the top of their lungs.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-lining-up-for-okonomiyaki.jpg" - alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"/> + alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"> </figure> <p>Eventually, I wound my way up through the mountains to Fukui, where I almost @@ -1986,7 +1986,7 @@ takes just about two hours. The train tore through the edge of the hurricane at breakneck speed and we were in Tokyo on schedule to the minute. You can’t help but love the Japanese train system.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-akasaka.jpg" - alt="Akasaka at night"/> + alt="Akasaka at night"> </figure> <p>Met up with Yasuko in Tokyo, and we spent the week bumming around town and @@ -2167,7 +2167,7 @@ pirates. The buildings are in incredibly good shape for their age, most of which are at least two centuries old. It’s not too tough to see why Trinidad is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-trinidad-street.jpg" - alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"/> + alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"> </figure> <p>Trinidad is about five hours from Havana by bus, and as with everything in @@ -2189,7 +2189,7 @@ cobblestone streets in search of pizza, and the evenings falling asleep to the sound of Cuban salsas, merengues, and cha cha chas drifting through the window from La Casa de la Trova across the street.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-horse-cart.jpg" - alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"/> + alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"> </figure> <p>While most of the old town is centered around the main plaza, cathedral, and @@ -2232,7 +2232,7 @@ beautiful and most run down cities in the world. It’s hard to imagine how things could be any worse, or any better given the Cuba’s political past and present.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-street.jpg" - alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"/> + alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"> </figure> <p>Havana, along with the rest of Cuba, is the way it is almost purely because of @@ -2291,7 +2291,7 @@ depth, specifically focusing on US-Cuban relations, the multi-volume set <em& History of Cuba and its relations with The United States</em> by Philip S. Foner is excellent.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-door.jpg" - alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"/> + alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"> </figure> <h3 id="arrival-in-havana">Arrival in Havana</h3> @@ -2336,7 +2336,7 @@ some amazing runs with a broom handle baseball bat. If you visit Cuba, something that’ll make any kid’s day is a baseball. Pencils and pens make nice gifts too.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-vintage-american-cars.jpg" - alt="Vintage American cars"/> + alt="Vintage American cars"> </figure> <h3 id="dollars-and-pesos">Dollars and Pesos</h3> @@ -2370,7 +2370,7 @@ rations, and can be obtained with your ration card at certain shops. When you can find it, food sold on the street is usually in pesos. Food in paladares¹, hotels, and touristy places is almost universally in dollars.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-camelo.jpg" - alt="Camelo bus"/> + alt="Camelo bus"> </figure> <h3 id="the-rich-and-the-poor">The Rich and the Poor</h3> @@ -2448,7 +2448,7 @@ traditional <em>huipiles</em> near the plaza downtown. The city is s centered on the <em>Cenote Zací</em> that was the ceremonial centre of the original Mayan settlement.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote.jpg" - alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."/> + alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."> </figure> <p>The cenote is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. To get to it, you hike @@ -2471,7 +2471,7 @@ who run through the streets every morning at 5 am. The government of Spain has apparently deemed Valladolid to be one of the most Spanish cities in the Americas, and donates money to help in its preservation.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote-top.jpg" - alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."/> + alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."> </figure> <p>Probably the most exciting thing that happened while we were there was the @@ -2507,9 +2507,9 @@ the country that November when Francisco Madero flew across the border into Piedras Negras, Coahuila. The revolution wasn’t over until 1920; but as they say, the opening chapters were written in blood, here in Valladolid.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-truck.jpg" - alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."/><figcaption> - <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."><figcaption> + <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>Unhappy with Spanish control of a land they considered their own, a small band @@ -2562,7 +2562,7 @@ in Meso-America. The close proximity of the ruins to Cancún and the size of some of the structures have made these the most famous Mayan ruins in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-el-castillo.jpg" - alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."/> + alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."> </figure> <p>The image that most people associate with Chichen Itzá is <em>El Castillo</em>. The @@ -2588,7 +2588,7 @@ hot and humid, not to mention dark, but the climb is worth it. Eventually, at the top of the staircase, if you’re lucky or pushy enough, you can catch a glimpse of a jewel-encrusted jaguar altar, used by the Maya for sacrifices.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-ball-court.jpg" - alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."/> + alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."> </figure> <p>The Ball Court is another feat of engineering. The walls are each approximately @@ -2654,7 +2654,7 @@ stops along a long, empty stretch of highway. We grabbed a plate of up) was blue. Sort of an off-grey blue. It tasted like milk mixed with dishwater.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-24-tulum.jpg" - alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."/> + alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."> </figure> <p>The best time to see the ruins is, without a doubt, sunrise. The ruins at @@ -2689,7 +2689,7 @@ day-trips to the surrounding villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán—indigenous villages comprising the Tzotzil and Tzeltal indigenous groups respectively.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-plaza.jpg" - alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."/> + alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."> </figure> <p>In town, we met a law student named Luís who took a group of us to the @@ -2717,7 +2717,7 @@ sell them at the markets and on the street. The textiles are all made from hand, from the thread, to hand-weaving and embroidering. Typically, a medium-sized blanket takes two to three weeks to produce.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-beans.jpg" - alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"/> + alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"> </figure> <p>Back in San Cristóbal, we spent a few days visiting the markets and wandering @@ -2753,7 +2753,7 @@ unstable state during the past 10 years, it is also home to some of the most incredible scenery, archaeological sites and indigenous culture in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-18-temple-of-inscriptions.jpg" - alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."/> + alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."> </figure> <p>The town of Palenque sits only a few minutes by bike, foot or bus from the @@ -2781,7 +2781,7 @@ pesos to the right people.</p> important centre in the ancient world of the Maya. The name means &lsquo;The place with writing on the stones.&rsquo;</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-door.jpg" - alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."/> + alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>Dzibilchaltún covers an area of about 16 square kilometres, in which there are @@ -2801,7 +2801,7 @@ there as offerings to the gods. At the other end is a courtyard, a pyramid, a ball court and the cenote, as well as an open chapel that was constructed during the Colonial era, in the late 16th and early 17th century.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-outside.jpg" - alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."/> + alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."> </figure> <p>The Temple of the Seven Dolls is probably the most interesting part of the @@ -2843,7 +2843,7 @@ honestly hope I never drink any milk from that one; no way that’s safe.</p& <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-lancha.jpg" - alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."/> + alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."> </figure> <blockquote> @@ -2881,7 +2881,7 @@ turned into a party town full of drunken gringos. The locals appear to want to keep it this way, and the local San Francisco store stops selling alcohol at 8:30 or 9:00 in the evenings.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-sunset.jpg" - alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."/> + alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."> </figure> <p>From the downtown Cancún bus station, we grabbed the Route 13 bus north along @@ -2915,7 +2915,7 @@ walkways above the huge walled off section of ocean where the largest of the turtles swim, and according to the guy who showed us around, if you fall in, &rsquo;te comen!&rsquo;, &rsquo;they eat you!'.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-skeletons.jpg" - alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."/> + alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."> </figure> <p>The ruins of Mundaca’s fortress are in the central part of the island, and if @@ -2944,7 +2944,7 @@ life-jacket wearing, water spitting drowners. I did get rammed in the legs by a nurse shark though. It felt like sandpaper and was among the creepier sensations I have experienced in my life.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-nativity-scene.jpg" - alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."/> + alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."> </figure> <p>There are also some Mayan ruins at the south tip of the island, though there’s @@ -2988,9 +2988,9 @@ straight out and say it: if someone ever tells you a story about the amazing beaches at Yucalpetén, just back away slowly and do not make any sudden moves—the person you are talking to has probably escaped from an asylum.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-chelem.jpg" - alt="Main street of Chelem"/><figcaption> - <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="Main street of Chelem"><figcaption> + <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>We wandered around for a few hours, but we never did find a beach in decent @@ -3014,7 +3014,7 @@ puts Canadian beaches to shame. On a hot weekend, Progreso makes a fun day trip. The wind keeps you cool, and as long as you keep ordering drinks, the food comes free at the palapa huts on the beach.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-palapa.jpg" - alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."/> + alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>The one thing that is impossible to miss in Progreso is the pier. At its @@ -3098,7 +3098,7 @@ pieces of chicken and a hard boiled egg bathing in it.</li> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-28-old-door.jpg" - alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."/> + alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."> </figure> <p>In Mérida, most people sleep in hammocks. Walk down any residential street and @@ -3167,7 +3167,7 @@ to the bus station, it was 9 pm, so after checking out the schedule and booking tickets, there was just enough time to grab some dinner and get some sleep before heading off to Mérida first thing the next morning.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-17-cathedral.jpg" - alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."/> + alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."> </figure> <p>Sitting in a Mexican bus station is an activity in itself. Drenched in sweat @@ -3390,5 +3390,83 @@ libraries for Dart.</li> </description> </item> + <item> + <title>Visiting Japan</title> + <link>https://chris.bracken.jp/japan/</link> + <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate> + + <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/japan/</guid> + <description><h3 id="city-specific-info">City-specific info</h3> +<ul> +<li><a href="kyoto">Kyoto・京都</a></li> +<li><a href="tokyo">Tokyo・東京</a></li> +</ul> +<h3 id="transportation">Transportation</h3> +<ul> +<li>If you have an iPhone, <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207155">add a Suica card</a> in Apple Wallet. If not, +pick one up from any JR station. At last check, physical Suica cards were no +longer available due to a semiconductor shortage, tourists can pick up a +<a href="https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/welcomesuica/welcomesuica.html">Welcome Suica</a> card, but these are ONLY available at Narita +and Haneda airports.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="luggage">Luggage</h3> +<ul> +<li>If at all possible, limit your luggage to carry-on sized suitcases and use +laundry machines at hotels. Lugging large suitcases through crowded stations +and on trains &ndash; particularly on weekdays during rush hour &ndash; can be pretty +inconvenient. If you need a large suitcase, consider also bringing a carry-on +sized suitcase containing two days worth of clothing, then see the next point.</li> +<li>Luggage can be shipped by courier (<a href="https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/airport/">Kuroneko Yamato</a>), typically +overnight, to anywhere in the country for very reasonable prices (~¥3000). You +can do this from most hotels and convenience stores. Shipping to airports +typically takes TWO days.</li> +<li>Hotels are happy to hold luggage after checkout at the desk for free, +typically up until end-of-day, so there&rsquo;s no need to lug bags around. If you +prefer, most train stations offer coin lockers of various sizes where you can +place bags. If they&rsquo;re full, ask station staff and they&rsquo;ll point you to open +lockers, or sometimes hold them at the information desk.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="banking-and-payments">Banking and payments</h3> +<ul> +<li>Most Japanese ATMs won&rsquo;t work with foreign cards. You can find ATMs that work +with foreign cards in every 7-11. (<a href="https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/index2.html">ATM Locator</a>)</li> +<li>When paying at stores and restaurants via credit card, the machine may +occasionally offer a choice between paying in yen or your own currency. If +your card doesn&rsquo;t impose foreign transaction fees, it&rsquo;s almost always cheaper +to choose to pay in yen. The rate offered by these machines aren&rsquo;t great.</li> +<li>I&rsquo;d recommend always carrying cash. Most businesses accept credit cards, but +you&rsquo;ll still find places that either don&rsquo;t take cards or where your card +mysteriously doesn&rsquo;t work.</li> +<li>Convenience stores and some vending machines allow payment via Suica card.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="food-and-dining">Food and dining</h3> +<ul> +<li>In large department stores and some office buildings, you&rsquo;ll almost always +find restaurants on the top couple floors. In Tokyo, this can mean spectacular +views.</li> +<li>In the first basement (B1) level of most department stores, you&rsquo;ll find the +most amazing collection of to-go food counters with everything from simple +yakisoba through incredibly fancy Japanese and western cakes and desserts. If +you&rsquo;re looking for nicely-packaged food gifts for friends back home, this is a +great place to get them. It&rsquo;s also a great place to grab food for a picnic in +the park.</li> +<li>There is no tipping in Japan. Service is expected to be good, and restaurant +staff are generally paid reasonable wages.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="shoes">Shoes</h3> +<ul> +<li>In many restaurants, particularly more traditional ones, there are places +where you&rsquo;ll need to take your shoes off. Typically these will be obvious +since they&rsquo;ll have a step up from stone floor onto wood/tatami. If you&rsquo;re +obviously non-Japanese, the staff will definitely let you know to take your +shoes off. Typically you&rsquo;ll leave them there. The staff may place them in shoe +cabinets and return them to you when you leave.</li> +<li>Many temples/castles may also have places where you&rsquo;re asked to remove your +shoes and either place them on shelves, or in a plastic bag and carry them +with you.</li> +</ul> +</description> + </item> + </channel> </rss> diff --git a/japan/index.html b/japan/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,119 @@ +<!doctype html> +<html lang="en"> +<head> +<meta charset="utf-8"> +<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> +<title>Visiting Japan - Chris Bracken</title> +<link href="/css/site.css" rel="stylesheet"> +<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png"> +<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon/favicon-32x32.png"> +<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon/favicon-16x16.png"> +<link rel="manifest" href="/favicon/site.webmanifest"> +<link rel="mask-icon" href="/favicon/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#140f42"> +<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon/favicon.ico"> +<meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#603cba"> +<meta name="msapplication-config" content="/favicon/browserconfig.xml"> +<meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> +</head> +<body> +<header id="header"> +<div class="site-title"> +<h1><a href="/">Chris Bracken</a></h1> +</div> + +<nav class="site-navbar"> +<ul id="menu" class="menu"> + <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/">Home</a></li> + <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/about/">About</a></li> + <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" href="/code/">Code</a></li> + <li class="menu-item"><a class="menu-item-a" rel="me"href="https://bsd.network/@cbracken">Fediverse</a></li> +</ul> +</nav> +</header> +<main id="main"> +<article> +<h2 class="post-title"><a href="https://chris.bracken.jp/japan/">Visiting Japan</a></h2> +<h3 id="city-specific-info">City-specific info</h3> +<ul> +<li><a href="kyoto">Kyoto・京都</a></li> +<li><a href="tokyo">Tokyo・東京</a></li> +</ul> +<h3 id="transportation">Transportation</h3> +<ul> +<li>If you have an iPhone, <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207155">add a Suica card</a> in Apple Wallet. If not, +pick one up from any JR station. At last check, physical Suica cards were no +longer available due to a semiconductor shortage, tourists can pick up a +<a href="https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/welcomesuica/welcomesuica.html">Welcome Suica</a> card, but these are ONLY available at Narita +and Haneda airports.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="luggage">Luggage</h3> +<ul> +<li>If at all possible, limit your luggage to carry-on sized suitcases and use +laundry machines at hotels. Lugging large suitcases through crowded stations +and on trains – particularly on weekdays during rush hour – can be pretty +inconvenient. If you need a large suitcase, consider also bringing a carry-on +sized suitcase containing two days worth of clothing, then see the next point.</li> +<li>Luggage can be shipped by courier (<a href="https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/airport/">Kuroneko Yamato</a>), typically +overnight, to anywhere in the country for very reasonable prices (~¥3000). You +can do this from most hotels and convenience stores. Shipping to airports +typically takes TWO days.</li> +<li>Hotels are happy to hold luggage after checkout at the desk for free, +typically up until end-of-day, so there’s no need to lug bags around. If you +prefer, most train stations offer coin lockers of various sizes where you can +place bags. If they’re full, ask station staff and they’ll point you to open +lockers, or sometimes hold them at the information desk.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="banking-and-payments">Banking and payments</h3> +<ul> +<li>Most Japanese ATMs won’t work with foreign cards. You can find ATMs that work +with foreign cards in every 7-11. (<a href="https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/index2.html">ATM Locator</a>)</li> +<li>When paying at stores and restaurants via credit card, the machine may +occasionally offer a choice between paying in yen or your own currency. If +your card doesn’t impose foreign transaction fees, it’s almost always cheaper +to choose to pay in yen. The rate offered by these machines aren’t great.</li> +<li>I’d recommend always carrying cash. Most businesses accept credit cards, but +you’ll still find places that either don’t take cards or where your card +mysteriously doesn’t work.</li> +<li>Convenience stores and some vending machines allow payment via Suica card.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="food-and-dining">Food and dining</h3> +<ul> +<li>In large department stores and some office buildings, you’ll almost always +find restaurants on the top couple floors. In Tokyo, this can mean spectacular +views.</li> +<li>In the first basement (B1) level of most department stores, you’ll find the +most amazing collection of to-go food counters with everything from simple +yakisoba through incredibly fancy Japanese and western cakes and desserts. If +you’re looking for nicely-packaged food gifts for friends back home, this is a +great place to get them. It’s also a great place to grab food for a picnic in +the park.</li> +<li>There is no tipping in Japan. Service is expected to be good, and restaurant +staff are generally paid reasonable wages.</li> +</ul> +<h3 id="shoes">Shoes</h3> +<ul> +<li>In many restaurants, particularly more traditional ones, there are places +where you’ll need to take your shoes off. Typically these will be obvious +since they’ll have a step up from stone floor onto wood/tatami. If you’re +obviously non-Japanese, the staff will definitely let you know to take your +shoes off. Typically you’ll leave them there. The staff may place them in shoe +cabinets and return them to you when you leave.</li> +<li>Many temples/castles may also have places where you’re asked to remove your +shoes and either place them on shelves, or in a plastic bag and carry them +with you.</li> +</ul> +</article> +</main> + +<footer id="footer"> +<div class="copyright"> +<span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#"> +The content of this site by +<a rel="cc:attributionURL" href="https://chris.bracken.jp/about"><span rel="cc:attributionName">Chris Bracken</span></a> +is +<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">CC BY 4.0</a>. +</span> +</div> +</footer> +</body> +</html> diff --git a/post/index.xml b/post/index.xml @@ -831,7 +831,7 @@ selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" - alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"/> + alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> </figure> <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of @@ -964,7 +964,7 @@ Canadian winters is how drafty Japanese houses tend to be, and the distinct lack of central heating. All across the country the appearance of convenience store oden and yaki-imo wagons mark the arrival of winter.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-25-yakiimo.jpg" - alt="Yaki-imo wagon"/> + alt="Yaki-imo wagon"> </figure> <p>Yaki-imo are sweet potatoes roasted over flames in wood fired ovens in small @@ -974,7 +974,7 @@ about yaki-imo is that the sellers sing a very distinct <a href="https:// song</a>. They typically make the rounds until just after dinner time, and I always found their song a bit eerie drifting though the dark streets.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-25-hinoyoujin.jpg" - alt="Hi no Yōjin"/> + alt="Hi no Yōjin"> </figure> <p>Central heating is near non-existent in Japan, one result of which is the @@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common @@ -1207,7 +1207,7 @@ limit of its reach.</p> your nearest <a href="https://www.scullinsteel.com/apple2/#dos33master">emulator</a>, and banging in a <code>call -151</code> for old time&rsquo;s sake.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-06-06-happy_birthday.png" - alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"/> + alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"> </figure> </description> @@ -1237,7 +1237,7 @@ items, that it hit me I hadn&rsquo;t used it in almost a month. So while I l forward to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hicksdesign/210309912/">NetNewsWire 3</a>, I&rsquo;m sticking to Google Reader for the time being.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-05-30-google-reader.png" - alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"/> + alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"> </figure> <p>I also discovered that my prime news reading hours are apparently 6:30am to @@ -1517,7 +1517,7 @@ days, the cherry blossom trees erupted into bloom. The Japanese take this opportunity to throw impromptu picnics, dinners, and random sake-drinking events under <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom">sakura</a> trees all across the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-04-09-sakura.jpg" - alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"/> + alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"> </figure> <p>The street behind my building is lined with sakura for as far as you can walk, @@ -1543,7 +1543,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <p>He was gone from my view before I was able to catch a second glance, though.</p> <p><em>Update (2008-03-20):</em> I’m glad he’s <a href="http://jiyugaoka.keizai.biz/headline/171/">not just a figment of my imagination</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-03-29-gakugeidai.jpg" - alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"/> + alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"> </figure> <p><em>Update (2011-04-27):</em> Found a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DbvxgmEAtE">YouTube video</a>.</p> @@ -1557,7 +1557,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2005/01/akemashite-omedetou/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-01-05-yasaka.jpg" - alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"/> + alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"> </figure> <p>今年も宜しくお願いします！Jumped on the Nozomi Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama @@ -1581,7 +1581,7 @@ booked to 120%.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2004/12/fresh-snow/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2004-12-30-fuji.jpg" - alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> <p>I came into work to a nice surprise this morning. Sipping on hot green tea, we @@ -1624,7 +1624,7 @@ here’s the view from my balcony here in Ebisu. The upside is that Ebisu is an incredibly central location in Tokyo with a ton of great restaurants; the downside is that tea costs 735 yen at the coffee shop across the way.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2004-11-04-balcony.jpg" - alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> </description> @@ -1859,7 +1859,7 @@ off half a backflip.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-cycling-in-japan.jpg" - alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"/> + alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"> </figure> <p>The plan was to travel from Osaka north to the Japan Sea, northeast along the @@ -1895,7 +1895,7 @@ sure my leg was broken, I lay there for a few minutes contemplating the resounding success of my bike trip thusfar while the last of the Poccari Sweat drained out of my water bottles into my shoes.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-fireworks-in-fukui.jpg" - alt="Fireworks in Fukui"/> + alt="Fireworks in Fukui"> </figure> <p>Suffice to say that the rest of the day went uphill from there (both literally @@ -1941,7 +1941,7 @@ Kansai-dialect. This was reinforced over and over throughout my ride by children hanging out of car windows waving and shouting &ldquo;ganbare!&rdquo; at the top of their lungs.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-lining-up-for-okonomiyaki.jpg" - alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"/> + alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"> </figure> <p>Eventually, I wound my way up through the mountains to Fukui, where I almost @@ -1986,7 +1986,7 @@ takes just about two hours. The train tore through the edge of the hurricane at breakneck speed and we were in Tokyo on schedule to the minute. You can’t help but love the Japanese train system.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-akasaka.jpg" - alt="Akasaka at night"/> + alt="Akasaka at night"> </figure> <p>Met up with Yasuko in Tokyo, and we spent the week bumming around town and @@ -2167,7 +2167,7 @@ pirates. The buildings are in incredibly good shape for their age, most of which are at least two centuries old. It’s not too tough to see why Trinidad is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-trinidad-street.jpg" - alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"/> + alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"> </figure> <p>Trinidad is about five hours from Havana by bus, and as with everything in @@ -2189,7 +2189,7 @@ cobblestone streets in search of pizza, and the evenings falling asleep to the sound of Cuban salsas, merengues, and cha cha chas drifting through the window from La Casa de la Trova across the street.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-horse-cart.jpg" - alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"/> + alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"> </figure> <p>While most of the old town is centered around the main plaza, cathedral, and @@ -2232,7 +2232,7 @@ beautiful and most run down cities in the world. It’s hard to imagine how things could be any worse, or any better given the Cuba’s political past and present.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-street.jpg" - alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"/> + alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"> </figure> <p>Havana, along with the rest of Cuba, is the way it is almost purely because of @@ -2291,7 +2291,7 @@ depth, specifically focusing on US-Cuban relations, the multi-volume set <em& History of Cuba and its relations with The United States</em> by Philip S. Foner is excellent.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-door.jpg" - alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"/> + alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"> </figure> <h3 id="arrival-in-havana">Arrival in Havana</h3> @@ -2336,7 +2336,7 @@ some amazing runs with a broom handle baseball bat. If you visit Cuba, something that’ll make any kid’s day is a baseball. Pencils and pens make nice gifts too.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-vintage-american-cars.jpg" - alt="Vintage American cars"/> + alt="Vintage American cars"> </figure> <h3 id="dollars-and-pesos">Dollars and Pesos</h3> @@ -2370,7 +2370,7 @@ rations, and can be obtained with your ration card at certain shops. When you can find it, food sold on the street is usually in pesos. Food in paladares¹, hotels, and touristy places is almost universally in dollars.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-camelo.jpg" - alt="Camelo bus"/> + alt="Camelo bus"> </figure> <h3 id="the-rich-and-the-poor">The Rich and the Poor</h3> @@ -2448,7 +2448,7 @@ traditional <em>huipiles</em> near the plaza downtown. The city is s centered on the <em>Cenote Zací</em> that was the ceremonial centre of the original Mayan settlement.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote.jpg" - alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."/> + alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."> </figure> <p>The cenote is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. To get to it, you hike @@ -2471,7 +2471,7 @@ who run through the streets every morning at 5 am. The government of Spain has apparently deemed Valladolid to be one of the most Spanish cities in the Americas, and donates money to help in its preservation.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote-top.jpg" - alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."/> + alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."> </figure> <p>Probably the most exciting thing that happened while we were there was the @@ -2507,9 +2507,9 @@ the country that November when Francisco Madero flew across the border into Piedras Negras, Coahuila. The revolution wasn’t over until 1920; but as they say, the opening chapters were written in blood, here in Valladolid.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-truck.jpg" - alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."/><figcaption> - <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."><figcaption> + <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>Unhappy with Spanish control of a land they considered their own, a small band @@ -2562,7 +2562,7 @@ in Meso-America. The close proximity of the ruins to Cancún and the size of some of the structures have made these the most famous Mayan ruins in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-el-castillo.jpg" - alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."/> + alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."> </figure> <p>The image that most people associate with Chichen Itzá is <em>El Castillo</em>. The @@ -2588,7 +2588,7 @@ hot and humid, not to mention dark, but the climb is worth it. Eventually, at the top of the staircase, if you’re lucky or pushy enough, you can catch a glimpse of a jewel-encrusted jaguar altar, used by the Maya for sacrifices.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-ball-court.jpg" - alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."/> + alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."> </figure> <p>The Ball Court is another feat of engineering. The walls are each approximately @@ -2654,7 +2654,7 @@ stops along a long, empty stretch of highway. We grabbed a plate of up) was blue. Sort of an off-grey blue. It tasted like milk mixed with dishwater.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-24-tulum.jpg" - alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."/> + alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."> </figure> <p>The best time to see the ruins is, without a doubt, sunrise. The ruins at @@ -2689,7 +2689,7 @@ day-trips to the surrounding villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán—indigenous villages comprising the Tzotzil and Tzeltal indigenous groups respectively.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-plaza.jpg" - alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."/> + alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."> </figure> <p>In town, we met a law student named Luís who took a group of us to the @@ -2717,7 +2717,7 @@ sell them at the markets and on the street. The textiles are all made from hand, from the thread, to hand-weaving and embroidering. Typically, a medium-sized blanket takes two to three weeks to produce.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-beans.jpg" - alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"/> + alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"> </figure> <p>Back in San Cristóbal, we spent a few days visiting the markets and wandering @@ -2753,7 +2753,7 @@ unstable state during the past 10 years, it is also home to some of the most incredible scenery, archaeological sites and indigenous culture in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-18-temple-of-inscriptions.jpg" - alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."/> + alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."> </figure> <p>The town of Palenque sits only a few minutes by bike, foot or bus from the @@ -2781,7 +2781,7 @@ pesos to the right people.</p> important centre in the ancient world of the Maya. The name means &lsquo;The place with writing on the stones.&rsquo;</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-door.jpg" - alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."/> + alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>Dzibilchaltún covers an area of about 16 square kilometres, in which there are @@ -2801,7 +2801,7 @@ there as offerings to the gods. At the other end is a courtyard, a pyramid, a ball court and the cenote, as well as an open chapel that was constructed during the Colonial era, in the late 16th and early 17th century.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-outside.jpg" - alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."/> + alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."> </figure> <p>The Temple of the Seven Dolls is probably the most interesting part of the @@ -2843,7 +2843,7 @@ honestly hope I never drink any milk from that one; no way that’s safe.</p& <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-lancha.jpg" - alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."/> + alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."> </figure> <blockquote> @@ -2881,7 +2881,7 @@ turned into a party town full of drunken gringos. The locals appear to want to keep it this way, and the local San Francisco store stops selling alcohol at 8:30 or 9:00 in the evenings.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-sunset.jpg" - alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."/> + alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."> </figure> <p>From the downtown Cancún bus station, we grabbed the Route 13 bus north along @@ -2915,7 +2915,7 @@ walkways above the huge walled off section of ocean where the largest of the turtles swim, and according to the guy who showed us around, if you fall in, &rsquo;te comen!&rsquo;, &rsquo;they eat you!'.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-skeletons.jpg" - alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."/> + alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."> </figure> <p>The ruins of Mundaca’s fortress are in the central part of the island, and if @@ -2944,7 +2944,7 @@ life-jacket wearing, water spitting drowners. I did get rammed in the legs by a nurse shark though. It felt like sandpaper and was among the creepier sensations I have experienced in my life.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-nativity-scene.jpg" - alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."/> + alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."> </figure> <p>There are also some Mayan ruins at the south tip of the island, though there’s @@ -2988,9 +2988,9 @@ straight out and say it: if someone ever tells you a story about the amazing beaches at Yucalpetén, just back away slowly and do not make any sudden moves—the person you are talking to has probably escaped from an asylum.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-chelem.jpg" - alt="Main street of Chelem"/><figcaption> - <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="Main street of Chelem"><figcaption> + <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>We wandered around for a few hours, but we never did find a beach in decent @@ -3014,7 +3014,7 @@ puts Canadian beaches to shame. On a hot weekend, Progreso makes a fun day trip. The wind keeps you cool, and as long as you keep ordering drinks, the food comes free at the palapa huts on the beach.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-palapa.jpg" - alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."/> + alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>The one thing that is impossible to miss in Progreso is the pier. At its @@ -3098,7 +3098,7 @@ pieces of chicken and a hard boiled egg bathing in it.</li> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-28-old-door.jpg" - alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."/> + alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."> </figure> <p>In Mérida, most people sleep in hammocks. Walk down any residential street and @@ -3167,7 +3167,7 @@ to the bus station, it was 9 pm, so after checking out the schedule and booking tickets, there was just enough time to grab some dinner and get some sleep before heading off to Mérida first thing the next morning.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-17-cathedral.jpg" - alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."/> + alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."> </figure> <p>Sitting in a Mexican bus station is an activity in itself. Drenched in sweat diff --git a/sitemap.xml b/sitemap.xml @@ -373,5 +373,9 @@ <loc>https://chris.bracken.jp/code/</loc> <changefreq>weekly</changefreq> <priority>0.5</priority> + </url><url> + <loc>https://chris.bracken.jp/japan/</loc> + <changefreq>weekly</changefreq> + <priority>0.5</priority> </url> </urlset> diff --git a/tags/canada/index.xml b/tags/canada/index.xml @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" - alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"/> + alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> </figure> <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of diff --git a/tags/cuba/index.xml b/tags/cuba/index.xml @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ pirates. The buildings are in incredibly good shape for their age, most of which are at least two centuries old. It’s not too tough to see why Trinidad is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-trinidad-street.jpg" - alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"/> + alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"> </figure> <p>Trinidad is about five hours from Havana by bus, and as with everything in @@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ cobblestone streets in search of pizza, and the evenings falling asleep to the sound of Cuban salsas, merengues, and cha cha chas drifting through the window from La Casa de la Trova across the street.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-horse-cart.jpg" - alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"/> + alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"> </figure> <p>While most of the old town is centered around the main plaza, cathedral, and @@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ beautiful and most run down cities in the world. It’s hard to imagine how things could be any worse, or any better given the Cuba’s political past and present.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-street.jpg" - alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"/> + alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"> </figure> <p>Havana, along with the rest of Cuba, is the way it is almost purely because of @@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ depth, specifically focusing on US-Cuban relations, the multi-volume set <em& History of Cuba and its relations with The United States</em> by Philip S. Foner is excellent.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-door.jpg" - alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"/> + alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"> </figure> <h3 id="arrival-in-havana">Arrival in Havana</h3> @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ some amazing runs with a broom handle baseball bat. If you visit Cuba, something that’ll make any kid’s day is a baseball. Pencils and pens make nice gifts too.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-vintage-american-cars.jpg" - alt="Vintage American cars"/> + alt="Vintage American cars"> </figure> <h3 id="dollars-and-pesos">Dollars and Pesos</h3> @@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ rations, and can be obtained with your ration card at certain shops. When you can find it, food sold on the street is usually in pesos. Food in paladares¹, hotels, and touristy places is almost universally in dollars.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-camelo.jpg" - alt="Camelo bus"/> + alt="Camelo bus"> </figure> <h3 id="the-rich-and-the-poor">The Rich and the Poor</h3> diff --git a/tags/cycling/index.xml b/tags/cycling/index.xml @@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ Hamura on the way back.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-cycling-in-japan.jpg" - alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"/> + alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"> </figure> <p>The plan was to travel from Osaka north to the Japan Sea, northeast along the @@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ sure my leg was broken, I lay there for a few minutes contemplating the resounding success of my bike trip thusfar while the last of the Poccari Sweat drained out of my water bottles into my shoes.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-fireworks-in-fukui.jpg" - alt="Fireworks in Fukui"/> + alt="Fireworks in Fukui"> </figure> <p>Suffice to say that the rest of the day went uphill from there (both literally @@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ Kansai-dialect. This was reinforced over and over throughout my ride by children hanging out of car windows waving and shouting &ldquo;ganbare!&rdquo; at the top of their lungs.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-lining-up-for-okonomiyaki.jpg" - alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"/> + alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"> </figure> <p>Eventually, I wound my way up through the mountains to Fukui, where I almost @@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ takes just about two hours. The train tore through the edge of the hurricane at breakneck speed and we were in Tokyo on schedule to the minute. You can’t help but love the Japanese train system.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-akasaka.jpg" - alt="Akasaka at night"/> + alt="Akasaka at night"> </figure> <p>Met up with Yasuko in Tokyo, and we spent the week bumming around town and diff --git a/tags/howto/index.xml b/tags/howto/index.xml @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" - alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"/> + alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> </figure> <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of @@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common diff --git a/tags/index.html b/tags/index.html @@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ <li><a href="/tags/wtf/">WTF</a> <li><a href="/tags/retro/">Retro</a> <li><a href="/tags/web/">Web</a> -<li><a href="/tags/iphone/">iPhone</a> +<li><a href="/tags/iphone/">IPhone</a> <li><a href="/tags/travel/">Travel</a> <li><a href="/tags/skiing/">Skiing</a> <li><a href="/tags/mexico/">Mexico</a> diff --git a/tags/index.xml b/tags/index.xml @@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ </item> <item> - <title>iPhone</title> + <title>IPhone</title> <link>https://chris.bracken.jp/tags/iphone/</link> <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate> diff --git a/tags/iphone/index.html b/tags/iphone/index.html @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> -<title>iPhone</title> +<title>IPhone</title> <link href="/css/site.css" rel="stylesheet"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://chris.bracken.jp/tags/iphone/index.xml" title="Chris Bracken" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png"> diff --git a/tags/iphone/index.xml b/tags/iphone/index.xml @@ -1,9 +1,9 @@ <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> - <title>iPhone on Chris Bracken</title> + <title>IPhone on Chris Bracken</title> <link>https://chris.bracken.jp/tags/iphone/</link> - <description>Recent content in iPhone on Chris Bracken</description> + <description>Recent content in IPhone on Chris Bracken</description> <generator>Hugo -- gohugo.io</generator> <language>en</language> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://chris.bracken.jp/tags/iphone/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> diff --git a/tags/japan/index.xml b/tags/japan/index.xml @@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Canadian winters is how drafty Japanese houses tend to be, and the distinct lack of central heating. All across the country the appearance of convenience store oden and yaki-imo wagons mark the arrival of winter.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-25-yakiimo.jpg" - alt="Yaki-imo wagon"/> + alt="Yaki-imo wagon"> </figure> <p>Yaki-imo are sweet potatoes roasted over flames in wood fired ovens in small @@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ about yaki-imo is that the sellers sing a very distinct <a href="https:// song</a>. They typically make the rounds until just after dinner time, and I always found their song a bit eerie drifting though the dark streets.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-25-hinoyoujin.jpg" - alt="Hi no Yōjin"/> + alt="Hi no Yōjin"> </figure> <p>Central heating is near non-existent in Japan, one result of which is the @@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ days, the cherry blossom trees erupted into bloom. The Japanese take this opportunity to throw impromptu picnics, dinners, and random sake-drinking events under <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom">sakura</a> trees all across the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-04-09-sakura.jpg" - alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"/> + alt="Cherry blossoms near Naka-Meguro"> </figure> <p>The street behind my building is lined with sakura for as far as you can walk, @@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <p>He was gone from my view before I was able to catch a second glance, though.</p> <p><em>Update (2008-03-20):</em> I’m glad he’s <a href="http://jiyugaoka.keizai.biz/headline/171/">not just a figment of my imagination</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-03-29-gakugeidai.jpg" - alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"/> + alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"> </figure> <p><em>Update (2011-04-27):</em> Found a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DbvxgmEAtE">YouTube video</a>.</p> @@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2005/01/akemashite-omedetou/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-01-05-yasaka.jpg" - alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"/> + alt="Buddhist monk ringing bell"> </figure> <p>今年も宜しくお願いします！Jumped on the Nozomi Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama @@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ booked to 120%.</p> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2004/12/fresh-snow/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2004-12-30-fuji.jpg" - alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="View of Mt. Fuji from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> <p>I came into work to a nice surprise this morning. Sipping on hot green tea, we @@ -452,7 +452,7 @@ here’s the view from my balcony here in Ebisu. The upside is that Ebisu is an incredibly central location in Tokyo with a ton of great restaurants; the downside is that tea costs 735 yen at the coffee shop across the way.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2004-11-04-balcony.jpg" - alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"/> + alt="Tokyo Tower viewed from Ebisu Garden Place"> </figure> </description> @@ -651,7 +651,7 @@ blueberry, or green tea.</li> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-cycling-in-japan.jpg" - alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"/> + alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"> </figure> <p>The plan was to travel from Osaka north to the Japan Sea, northeast along the @@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ sure my leg was broken, I lay there for a few minutes contemplating the resounding success of my bike trip thusfar while the last of the Poccari Sweat drained out of my water bottles into my shoes.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-fireworks-in-fukui.jpg" - alt="Fireworks in Fukui"/> + alt="Fireworks in Fukui"> </figure> <p>Suffice to say that the rest of the day went uphill from there (both literally @@ -733,7 +733,7 @@ Kansai-dialect. This was reinforced over and over throughout my ride by children hanging out of car windows waving and shouting &ldquo;ganbare!&rdquo; at the top of their lungs.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-lining-up-for-okonomiyaki.jpg" - alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"/> + alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"> </figure> <p>Eventually, I wound my way up through the mountains to Fukui, where I almost @@ -778,7 +778,7 @@ takes just about two hours. The train tore through the edge of the hurricane at breakneck speed and we were in Tokyo on schedule to the minute. You can’t help but love the Japanese train system.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-akasaka.jpg" - alt="Akasaka at night"/> + alt="Akasaka at night"> </figure> <p>Met up with Yasuko in Tokyo, and we spent the week bumming around town and diff --git a/tags/japanese/index.xml b/tags/japanese/index.xml @@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common diff --git a/tags/linux/index.xml b/tags/linux/index.xml @@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common diff --git a/tags/mexico/index.xml b/tags/mexico/index.xml @@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ traditional <em>huipiles</em> near the plaza downtown. The city is s centered on the <em>Cenote Zací</em> that was the ceremonial centre of the original Mayan settlement.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote.jpg" - alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."/> + alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."> </figure> <p>The cenote is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. To get to it, you hike @@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ who run through the streets every morning at 5 am. The government of Spain has apparently deemed Valladolid to be one of the most Spanish cities in the Americas, and donates money to help in its preservation.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote-top.jpg" - alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."/> + alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."> </figure> <p>Probably the most exciting thing that happened while we were there was the @@ -197,9 +197,9 @@ the country that November when Francisco Madero flew across the border into Piedras Negras, Coahuila. The revolution wasn’t over until 1920; but as they say, the opening chapters were written in blood, here in Valladolid.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-truck.jpg" - alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."/><figcaption> - <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."><figcaption> + <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>Unhappy with Spanish control of a land they considered their own, a small band @@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ in Meso-America. The close proximity of the ruins to Cancún and the size of some of the structures have made these the most famous Mayan ruins in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-el-castillo.jpg" - alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."/> + alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."> </figure> <p>The image that most people associate with Chichen Itzá is <em>El Castillo</em>. The @@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ hot and humid, not to mention dark, but the climb is worth it. Eventually, at the top of the staircase, if you’re lucky or pushy enough, you can catch a glimpse of a jewel-encrusted jaguar altar, used by the Maya for sacrifices.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-ball-court.jpg" - alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."/> + alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."> </figure> <p>The Ball Court is another feat of engineering. The walls are each approximately @@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ stops along a long, empty stretch of highway. We grabbed a plate of up) was blue. Sort of an off-grey blue. It tasted like milk mixed with dishwater.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-24-tulum.jpg" - alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."/> + alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."> </figure> <p>The best time to see the ruins is, without a doubt, sunrise. The ruins at @@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ day-trips to the surrounding villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán—indigenous villages comprising the Tzotzil and Tzeltal indigenous groups respectively.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-plaza.jpg" - alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."/> + alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."> </figure> <p>In town, we met a law student named Luís who took a group of us to the @@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ sell them at the markets and on the street. The textiles are all made from hand, from the thread, to hand-weaving and embroidering. Typically, a medium-sized blanket takes two to three weeks to produce.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-beans.jpg" - alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"/> + alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"> </figure> <p>Back in San Cristóbal, we spent a few days visiting the markets and wandering @@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ unstable state during the past 10 years, it is also home to some of the most incredible scenery, archaeological sites and indigenous culture in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-18-temple-of-inscriptions.jpg" - alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."/> + alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."> </figure> <p>The town of Palenque sits only a few minutes by bike, foot or bus from the @@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ pesos to the right people.</p> important centre in the ancient world of the Maya. The name means &lsquo;The place with writing on the stones.&rsquo;</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-door.jpg" - alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."/> + alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>Dzibilchaltún covers an area of about 16 square kilometres, in which there are @@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ there as offerings to the gods. At the other end is a courtyard, a pyramid, a ball court and the cenote, as well as an open chapel that was constructed during the Colonial era, in the late 16th and early 17th century.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-outside.jpg" - alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."/> + alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."> </figure> <p>The Temple of the Seven Dolls is probably the most interesting part of the @@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ honestly hope I never drink any milk from that one; no way that’s safe.</p& <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-lancha.jpg" - alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."/> + alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."> </figure> <blockquote> @@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ turned into a party town full of drunken gringos. The locals appear to want to keep it this way, and the local San Francisco store stops selling alcohol at 8:30 or 9:00 in the evenings.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-sunset.jpg" - alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."/> + alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."> </figure> <p>From the downtown Cancún bus station, we grabbed the Route 13 bus north along @@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ walkways above the huge walled off section of ocean where the largest of the turtles swim, and according to the guy who showed us around, if you fall in, &rsquo;te comen!&rsquo;, &rsquo;they eat you!'.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-skeletons.jpg" - alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."/> + alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."> </figure> <p>The ruins of Mundaca’s fortress are in the central part of the island, and if @@ -634,7 +634,7 @@ life-jacket wearing, water spitting drowners. I did get rammed in the legs by a nurse shark though. It felt like sandpaper and was among the creepier sensations I have experienced in my life.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-nativity-scene.jpg" - alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."/> + alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."> </figure> <p>There are also some Mayan ruins at the south tip of the island, though there’s @@ -678,9 +678,9 @@ straight out and say it: if someone ever tells you a story about the amazing beaches at Yucalpetén, just back away slowly and do not make any sudden moves—the person you are talking to has probably escaped from an asylum.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-chelem.jpg" - alt="Main street of Chelem"/><figcaption> - <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="Main street of Chelem"><figcaption> + <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>We wandered around for a few hours, but we never did find a beach in decent @@ -704,7 +704,7 @@ puts Canadian beaches to shame. On a hot weekend, Progreso makes a fun day trip. The wind keeps you cool, and as long as you keep ordering drinks, the food comes free at the palapa huts on the beach.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-palapa.jpg" - alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."/> + alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>The one thing that is impossible to miss in Progreso is the pier. At its @@ -788,7 +788,7 @@ pieces of chicken and a hard boiled egg bathing in it.</li> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-28-old-door.jpg" - alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."/> + alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."> </figure> <p>In Mérida, most people sleep in hammocks. Walk down any residential street and @@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ to the bus station, it was 9 pm, so after checking out the schedule and booking tickets, there was just enough time to grab some dinner and get some sleep before heading off to Mérida first thing the next morning.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-17-cathedral.jpg" - alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."/> + alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."> </figure> <p>Sitting in a Mexican bus station is an activity in itself. Drenched in sweat diff --git a/tags/retro/index.xml b/tags/retro/index.xml @@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ limit of its reach.</p> your nearest <a href="https://www.scullinsteel.com/apple2/#dos33master">emulator</a>, and banging in a <code>call -151</code> for old time&rsquo;s sake.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-06-06-happy_birthday.png" - alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"/> + alt="AppleSoft BASIC program"> </figure> </description> diff --git a/tags/software/index.xml b/tags/software/index.xml @@ -844,7 +844,7 @@ impractical, so a mapping is required.</p> <p>Input happens in two steps. First, you input the text phonetically, then you convert it to a mix of kanji and kana.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-04-22-henkan.png" - alt="Japanese IME completion menu"/> + alt="Japanese IME completion menu"> </figure> <p>Over the years, two main mechanisms evolved to input kana. The first was common @@ -945,7 +945,7 @@ items, that it hit me I hadn&rsquo;t used it in almost a month. So while I l forward to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hicksdesign/210309912/">NetNewsWire 3</a>, I&rsquo;m sticking to Google Reader for the time being.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-05-30-google-reader.png" - alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"/> + alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"> </figure> <p>I also discovered that my prime news reading hours are apparently 6:30am to diff --git a/tags/travel/index.xml b/tags/travel/index.xml @@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ blueberry, or green tea.</li> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2003/08/biking-japan-2003/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-cycling-in-japan.jpg" - alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"/> + alt="Brodie bike parked beside vending machines in front of restaurant"> </figure> <p>The plan was to travel from Osaka north to the Japan Sea, northeast along the @@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ sure my leg was broken, I lay there for a few minutes contemplating the resounding success of my bike trip thusfar while the last of the Poccari Sweat drained out of my water bottles into my shoes.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-fireworks-in-fukui.jpg" - alt="Fireworks in Fukui"/> + alt="Fireworks in Fukui"> </figure> <p>Suffice to say that the rest of the day went uphill from there (both literally @@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ Kansai-dialect. This was reinforced over and over throughout my ride by children hanging out of car windows waving and shouting &ldquo;ganbare!&rdquo; at the top of their lungs.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-lining-up-for-okonomiyaki.jpg" - alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"/> + alt="Lining up for okonomiyaki"> </figure> <p>Eventually, I wound my way up through the mountains to Fukui, where I almost @@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ takes just about two hours. The train tore through the edge of the hurricane at breakneck speed and we were in Tokyo on schedule to the minute. You can’t help but love the Japanese train system.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2003-08-17-akasaka.jpg" - alt="Akasaka at night"/> + alt="Akasaka at night"> </figure> <p>Met up with Yasuko in Tokyo, and we spent the week bumming around town and @@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ pirates. The buildings are in incredibly good shape for their age, most of which are at least two centuries old. It’s not too tough to see why Trinidad is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-trinidad-street.jpg" - alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"/> + alt="Street in Trinidad, Cuba"> </figure> <p>Trinidad is about five hours from Havana by bus, and as with everything in @@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ cobblestone streets in search of pizza, and the evenings falling asleep to the sound of Cuban salsas, merengues, and cha cha chas drifting through the window from La Casa de la Trova across the street.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-21-horse-cart.jpg" - alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"/> + alt="Horse-drawn cart driven by man and boy in Trinidad street"> </figure> <p>While most of the old town is centered around the main plaza, cathedral, and @@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ beautiful and most run down cities in the world. It’s hard to imagine how things could be any worse, or any better given the Cuba’s political past and present.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-street.jpg" - alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"/> + alt="Run-down street in Old Havana"> </figure> <p>Havana, along with the rest of Cuba, is the way it is almost purely because of @@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ depth, specifically focusing on US-Cuban relations, the multi-volume set <em& History of Cuba and its relations with The United States</em> by Philip S. Foner is excellent.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-old-havana-door.jpg" - alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"/> + alt="Crumbling doorway in Old Havana"> </figure> <h3 id="arrival-in-havana">Arrival in Havana</h3> @@ -664,7 +664,7 @@ some amazing runs with a broom handle baseball bat. If you visit Cuba, something that’ll make any kid’s day is a baseball. Pencils and pens make nice gifts too.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-vintage-american-cars.jpg" - alt="Vintage American cars"/> + alt="Vintage American cars"> </figure> <h3 id="dollars-and-pesos">Dollars and Pesos</h3> @@ -698,7 +698,7 @@ rations, and can be obtained with your ration card at certain shops. When you can find it, food sold on the street is usually in pesos. Food in paladares¹, hotels, and touristy places is almost universally in dollars.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2002-03-19-camelo.jpg" - alt="Camelo bus"/> + alt="Camelo bus"> </figure> <h3 id="the-rich-and-the-poor">The Rich and the Poor</h3> @@ -759,7 +759,7 @@ traditional <em>huipiles</em> near the plaza downtown. The city is s centered on the <em>Cenote Zací</em> that was the ceremonial centre of the original Mayan settlement.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote.jpg" - alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."/> + alt="View of Cenote Zací. Stalactites and vines hang from above. A few swimmers can be seen near the edge of the pool. A path leads upwards through the trees."> </figure> <p>The cenote is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. To get to it, you hike @@ -782,7 +782,7 @@ who run through the streets every morning at 5 am. The government of Spain has apparently deemed Valladolid to be one of the most Spanish cities in the Americas, and donates money to help in its preservation.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-cenote-top.jpg" - alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."/> + alt="View from above, looking down into Cenote Zací. Vines hang down to the water from above. A stone staircase leads up from the dark blue-green waters. A few scattered fallen leaves litter the surface of the water."> </figure> <p>Probably the most exciting thing that happened while we were there was the @@ -818,9 +818,9 @@ the country that November when Francisco Madero flew across the border into Piedras Negras, Coahuila. The revolution wasn’t over until 1920; but as they say, the opening chapters were written in blood, here in Valladolid.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-27-truck.jpg" - alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."/><figcaption> - <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="The rusted carcass of a truck parked on the side of the street. Painted across the front: Duele mas andar a pie (it hurts more to walk). On the bent and twisted remains of the bumper: Asi como me vez te veras (one day, you&#39;ll look like this too)."><figcaption> + <h4>&#39;It hurts more to walk&#39;</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>Unhappy with Spanish control of a land they considered their own, a small band @@ -873,7 +873,7 @@ in Meso-America. The close proximity of the ruins to Cancún and the size of some of the structures have made these the most famous Mayan ruins in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-el-castillo.jpg" - alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."/> + alt="A view from the ground below the El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itzá. Visitors climb the steep staircase leading up the centre of the face of the pyramid. A few people stand silhouetted at the top, looking down on the surrouding jungle."> </figure> <p>The image that most people associate with Chichen Itzá is <em>El Castillo</em>. The @@ -899,7 +899,7 @@ hot and humid, not to mention dark, but the climb is worth it. Eventually, at the top of the staircase, if you’re lucky or pushy enough, you can catch a glimpse of a jewel-encrusted jaguar altar, used by the Maya for sacrifices.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-26-ball-court.jpg" - alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."/> + alt="The ball court at Chichen Itzá. Large, perfectly flat stone walls rise above the grass. Two stone hoops protrude, one from each wall, facing sideways. A crowd of people stands at the far end of the court."> </figure> <p>The Ball Court is another feat of engineering. The walls are each approximately @@ -965,7 +965,7 @@ stops along a long, empty stretch of highway. We grabbed a plate of up) was blue. Sort of an off-grey blue. It tasted like milk mixed with dishwater.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-24-tulum.jpg" - alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."/> + alt="Mayan ruins sit on a bluff of rock covered with low scrub overlooking the Caribbean. Below, waves crash against the rocks."> </figure> <p>The best time to see the ruins is, without a doubt, sunrise. The ruins at @@ -1000,7 +1000,7 @@ day-trips to the surrounding villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán—indigenous villages comprising the Tzotzil and Tzeltal indigenous groups respectively.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-plaza.jpg" - alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."/> + alt="The bright yellow façade of a catheral faces the main plaza in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Pedestrials mill about the square in groups."> </figure> <p>In town, we met a law student named Luís who took a group of us to the @@ -1028,7 +1028,7 @@ sell them at the markets and on the street. The textiles are all made from hand, from the thread, to hand-weaving and embroidering. Typically, a medium-sized blanket takes two to three weeks to produce.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-21-beans.jpg" - alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"/> + alt="Dozens of varieties of dried beans in many colours arrayed for sale in bins and large sacks for sale at the market"> </figure> <p>Back in San Cristóbal, we spent a few days visiting the markets and wandering @@ -1064,7 +1064,7 @@ unstable state during the past 10 years, it is also home to some of the most incredible scenery, archaeological sites and indigenous culture in the country.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-12-18-temple-of-inscriptions.jpg" - alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."/> + alt="The Mayan ruins of the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque towering over a courtyard surrounded by jungle. A large staircase leads up the main face of the pyramid. Rain pours down in torrents."> </figure> <p>The town of Palenque sits only a few minutes by bike, foot or bus from the @@ -1092,7 +1092,7 @@ pesos to the right people.</p> important centre in the ancient world of the Maya. The name means &lsquo;The place with writing on the stones.&rsquo;</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-door.jpg" - alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."/> + alt="View framed by the doorway of the of Templo de las Siete Muñecas looking out over the ruins of a stone building and four-sized stone stela on a raised platform. A path leads past the ruins, through the low jungle, and towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>Dzibilchaltún covers an area of about 16 square kilometres, in which there are @@ -1112,7 +1112,7 @@ there as offerings to the gods. At the other end is a courtyard, a pyramid, a ball court and the cenote, as well as an open chapel that was constructed during the Colonial era, in the late 16th and early 17th century.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-11-munecas-outside.jpg" - alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."/> + alt="View of the Templo de las Siete Muñecas from the path. In the foreground, a hiker walks toward a large worn stela on a raised platform."> </figure> <p>The Temple of the Seven Dolls is probably the most interesting part of the @@ -1154,7 +1154,7 @@ honestly hope I never drink any milk from that one; no way that’s safe.</p& <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/09/isla-mujeres-quintana-roo-mexico/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-lancha.jpg" - alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."/> + alt="A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat floats in the crystal-clear blue waters of the Caribbean, moored a few metres offshore a white sandy beach."> </figure> <blockquote> @@ -1192,7 +1192,7 @@ turned into a party town full of drunken gringos. The locals appear to want to keep it this way, and the local San Francisco store stops selling alcohol at 8:30 or 9:00 in the evenings.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-sunset.jpg" - alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."/> + alt="In the distance, the silhouette of a lancha passes through the shimmering reflection of the setting sun&#39;s light on the ocean."> </figure> <p>From the downtown Cancún bus station, we grabbed the Route 13 bus north along @@ -1226,7 +1226,7 @@ walkways above the huge walled off section of ocean where the largest of the turtles swim, and according to the guy who showed us around, if you fall in, &rsquo;te comen!&rsquo;, &rsquo;they eat you!'.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-skeletons.jpg" - alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."/> + alt="Four small hand-carved wooden skeleton toys playing musical instruments and wearing sombreros sit on the step of a storefront with their feet on the sidewalk. A small wooden armadillo wanders by."> </figure> <p>The ruins of Mundaca’s fortress are in the central part of the island, and if @@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ life-jacket wearing, water spitting drowners. I did get rammed in the legs by a nurse shark though. It felt like sandpaper and was among the creepier sensations I have experienced in my life.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-09-06-nativity-scene.jpg" - alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."/> + alt="The gazebo at the centre of the Isla Mujeres plaza decorated in an underwater-themed nativity scene. The virgin mary stands at the centre, her hands in prayer. Fishing nets filled with starfish, tropical fish, and multi-coloured Christmas lights surround the gazebo."> </figure> <p>There are also some Mayan ruins at the south tip of the island, though there’s @@ -1299,9 +1299,9 @@ straight out and say it: if someone ever tells you a story about the amazing beaches at Yucalpetén, just back away slowly and do not make any sudden moves—the person you are talking to has probably escaped from an asylum.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-chelem.jpg" - alt="Main street of Chelem"/><figcaption> - <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> - </figcaption> + alt="Main street of Chelem"><figcaption> + <h4>The main street of Chelem?</h4> + </figcaption> </figure> <p>We wandered around for a few hours, but we never did find a beach in decent @@ -1325,7 +1325,7 @@ puts Canadian beaches to shame. On a hot weekend, Progreso makes a fun day trip. The wind keeps you cool, and as long as you keep ordering drinks, the food comes free at the palapa huts on the beach.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-31-palapa.jpg" - alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."/> + alt="Three beach chairs sit in the shade of a palm-thatched palapa on the beach overlooking the ocean. A small &#39;lancha&#39; boat is pulled up on the beach. On the left, Progreso&#39;s long pier extends over the water towards the horizon."> </figure> <p>The one thing that is impossible to miss in Progreso is the pier. At its @@ -1409,7 +1409,7 @@ pieces of chicken and a hard boiled egg bathing in it.</li> <guid>https://chris.bracken.jp/2001/08/quest-for-a-hammock/</guid> <description><figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-28-old-door.jpg" - alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."/> + alt="A worn-down wooden door lies framed by a crumbling building façade in Mérida. Traces of faded lettering remain where the paint has not flaked away."> </figure> <p>In Mérida, most people sleep in hammocks. Walk down any residential street and @@ -1478,7 +1478,7 @@ to the bus station, it was 9 pm, so after checking out the schedule and booking tickets, there was just enough time to grab some dinner and get some sleep before heading off to Mérida first thing the next morning.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2001-08-17-cathedral.jpg" - alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."/> + alt="Façade of the Mérida cathedral in the evening light. Groups of pedestrians pass along the sidewalk in front as Volkswagen Beetles drive by."> </figure> <p>Sitting in a Mexican bus station is an activity in itself. Drenched in sweat diff --git a/tags/usa/index.xml b/tags/usa/index.xml @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ selling the car and buying a new one, I chose instead to import the one I know and love. Here is my story. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2011-05-10-futile.jpg" - alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"/> + alt="Scrawny kid vs sumo wrestler"> </figure> <p>To import a vehicle to the US from Canada, you need to undertake a series of diff --git a/tags/web/index.xml b/tags/web/index.xml @@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ items, that it hit me I hadn&rsquo;t used it in almost a month. So while I l forward to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hicksdesign/210309912/">NetNewsWire 3</a>, I&rsquo;m sticking to Google Reader for the time being.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2007-05-30-google-reader.png" - alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"/> + alt="Google reader graph of usage by hour of day"> </figure> <p>I also discovered that my prime news reading hours are apparently 6:30am to diff --git a/tags/wtf/index.xml b/tags/wtf/index.xml @@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ and wearing a giant fish on his head, wailing away on a guitar.</p> <p>He was gone from my view before I was able to catch a second glance, though.</p> <p><em>Update (2008-03-20):</em> I’m glad he’s <a href="http://jiyugaoka.keizai.biz/headline/171/">not just a figment of my imagination</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://chris.bracken.jp/post/2005-03-29-gakugeidai.jpg" - alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"/> + alt="Man with fish on head playing guitar"> </figure> <p><em>Update (2011-04-27):</em> Found a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DbvxgmEAtE">YouTube video</a>.</p>