No recent updates for a reason

Hey followers,

I've wanted to update for a few days now, but I haven't been able to. Google had a public dispute with China, so my email and blog were unavailable while we were in Shanghai. Now that we've arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, the Internet is crazy expensive.

Soon, I will add pictures from our visit to the Great Wall, Olympic stadiums, etc.

Cheers,
Elliot

Our two days in Kyoto

Tuesday, June 16th

Last night, we sang a concert with the Doshisha University glee club in Kyoto, one of Japan's oldest cities. Largely because of the acoustics of the concert hall, we performed better than we have all tour. 

Wednesday, June 17th

After singing a few short concerts at Doshisha, we took a tour of the college. Then, we sang at the Heian Jingu Shrine and visited two temples. We took a bullet train back to Tokyo, where our hosts treated us to an open bar at a downtown restaurant.

Sumo wrestling, electronics and a concert for our hosts

Yesterday, Casey, Jay K., Jesse and I walked with my host mother and Yoku to a local sumo wrestling training house. We spoke with a sumo wrestler about his fifteen years of training and competition. All the sumo wrestlers who train with a certain coach live in the same house and practice together everyday.

That afternoon, we visited a huge electronic store, where I bought some new Sony headphones, and walked down a street market, where I bought some dried mango.

In the evening, we performed at a gorgeous concert hall for our host families and their friends. The annual leader of the Whiff Japan trip led his own a cappella group made of older Japanese men. They sounded great and were hilarious! Also, our host families further showed their indefatigable hospitality and love after the show: each family gave every single Whiff a bouquet of flowers. In addition, my host mother, her daughters and her friends went out to dinner after the show.

Japan keeps getting better and better. We're so blessed to have such compassionate hosts; they have made this leg of tour a brilliant success. Today, we travel to Kyoto, where we will perform and spend the night.

Japan!

Friday, June 12th

After a full day in Sydney, we flew ten hours to Tokyo, Japan. Since I had never been to Japan or any part of Asia, I had been looking forward to this leg of the summer tour. This is the Whiffs' twenty-seventh time visiting Japan, and the reception could not be any better. Each Whiff has a host family, which goes far out of its way to show us a good time. Plus, two young, recent college graduates, Jody and Yoku, have been assigned to help us along the way. On Friday night, we met our host families; keeping with tradition, I presented mine with a bottle of whiskey-- I bought mine Maker's Mark.

Saturday, June 13th

We got up early in the morning to prepare for what would be a remarkably long concert. We sang an hour-and-a-half-long set in Fujisawa, a city right outside of Tokyo. Afterwards, we had a delicious reception, which allowed us to talk with the audience members and the college students who sang and danced before our performance.

Sunday, June 14th

Today was the best day of tour so far. Casey, Jay K., Jesse and my host families took us into historic Tokyo to explore important sites often visited by tourists. We saw temples and cemeteries; we ate delicious street food, including a green tea ice cream sandwich. For lunch, we ate at a restaurant where you take the ingredients and prepare them on a hot pan on your table. Delicious! Afterwards, we rode on a riverboat to see Tokyo's notable buildings, including the Tokyo Tower.

The night ended with a party at the home of Casey's host family. We ate a scrumptious feast that had been prepared by the host families. Best of all, we sang and played games with the host families' adorable children.

Our host families' out-of-this-world hospitality and kindness remind me of how special this tour is. I can only hope that the next few days will be as magical.

About the photos above

-Koki: the cutest child ever

-One of the talented kids at the party

-Jesse and Yoku (sitting to Jesse's right) on the riverboat

-Jay checking out one of Tokyo's many bridges

-Casey doing the same

-Preparing lunch at our table!

-My host mother and I in front of a temple

Australia!

Thursday, June 11th

Thanks to JetStar's flight schedule, we got a free day in Sydney, Australia! After the three hour flight from Auckland to Sydney, the Whiffs took the city by storm. During the day, seven of us went straight to the wildlife exhibit, where we saw koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, etc. Australia has the world's cutest animals, for sure!

After looking at the fauna, we walked through the city's botanical gardens to view the flora. Surprisingly, we saw hundreds of bats hanging upside down on trees. When we passed through the gardens, we checked out the world famous Sydney Opera House! The building's architecture is stunning up close; I also had no idea that the House is made of several different buildings and that the roofs are made of white tiles. As Casey said that day, no matter how many times you see a famous landmark in photographs or on television, you can never really know about it until you visit it.

With a dozen photographs taken with the opera house, we walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, another Australian landmark. There, we had stunning views of the city skyline.

Later that night, a group of us went bar-hopping with a friend we met at the yacht club concert in Auckland. Who ever said Sydney can't be done in a day? ( :

Next stop: Japan

About the above photos

-First, a view of the Sydney Opera House from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

-Me in front of the Opera House!

-Sleepy kangaroos at the wildlife exhibit

-Cuddly koalas on a tree ( :

Some NZ photos

About the photos above:

-the top photo is a group of Maoris performing the haka at the Auckland museum

-the second photo is me during a hike up a mountain in Queenstown

-the last shot comes from a photo taken at the end our hike

Further NZ coverage

Saturday, June 6th

During our first day in Auckland, we sang at the local yacht club for Auckland's American club and various other people. After our concert, we chatted with the audience and learned about how best to spend our last days in New Zealand.

Sunday, June 7th

Joel and my host mother surprised us by washing our clothes, including our white tuxedo gear. My gloves looked brand new! During the day, the Whiffs hiked all around the southern tip of the New Zealand's unbelievable north island, which included beaches, forests and mountains! That evening, we sang for a music festival at St. Kentigern College, a prep school. The high schoolers who also performed in the festival gave us a tremendous reception.

Monday, June 8th

We left our gracious hosts and moved into a hotel in downtown Auckland. Since the weather prevented us from going out during the day, about ten of us saw Star Trek at an IMAX theater! (This was my second time seeing it-- I'm tempted to watch it again!)

Tuesday, June 9th

Jay F., Rex and I visited Auckland's museum to see a Maori cultural performance. Impressed by the presentation's authenticity and the museum's wildlife exhibit, we told the rest of the group about the indigenous people's struggles in New Zealand as well as the troubled history of the various extinct animals that once roamed the countryside (e.g., the moa). That night, we sang at our hotel for its owners and also visiting travel representatives who wanted to learn more about New Zealand's profitability as a tourist attraction.

Wednesday, June 10th

The Whiffs go hard when we can. This day was no exception. In the morning, we traveled to Waitomo to go blackwater rafting. Though I generally had a brilliant time in the caves, I had a bit of a claustrophobic attack when we crawled through a particularly tight, ~10m long passageway. Scary stuff. After hours in the cave, we drove two hours back to downtown Auckland to sing for the posh Northern Club.

Bye, New Zealand! 

massive update coming soon

Followers, sorry I haven't updated in a bit. I won't let a day go uncovered and will be sure to update you with notes and pictures soon.

This morning, we're flying to Sydney, Australia. Because of a flight technicality, we get a free day there! Tomorrow, we're heading to Japan. Too much to handle! ( :

NZ updates!

Wednesday, June 3rd
To celebrate our first day in Queenstown, Andrew, Casey, Jesse, Julian and I hiked up a mountain and looked down upon the town's gorgeous landscape. (pictures soon!)

Thursday, June 4th
We heli-rafted on Thursday! We flew in a helicopter to a river that flows between a canyon; then, we rafted down the rapids. That evening, we performed for the general manager of the St. Moritz Hotel, the five-star hotel that hosted us in Queenstown.

Friday, June 5th
Last night, we sang to people dining at the St. Moritz's restaurant. The restaurant fed us for the second night in a row and then let us explore Queenstown's nightlife.

Saturday, June 6th
Today, we're going to fly up to Auckland-- our next stop in New Zealand.

The Whiffenpoofs never experienced June 2nd

As we flew over the International Date Line on our way to Auckland, New Zealand, we skipped over June 2nd, a day we will remember for not having experienced. We will soon board a plane for Queenstown, our main stop in NZ. Cheers, mate.

New Zealand bound!

After a free day in San Fran, during which some us visited to Fishermen's Wharf and later ate at a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner, I plan to tie up loose ends today and prepare for our long flight to Queenstown, New Zealand. Let the international travels begin!

About the above photos
-the top picture is a group of us (Jay, Jesse, me, Casey and Rex) at Fishermen's Wharf
-the second picture is from Bohemian Grove; we were chilling by a fire in the musicians' camp, Aviary
More photos can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewstegmaier/collections/72157619028954698/
Andrew Stegmaier has taken the initiative to upload all of the group's pictures onto one site. Hooray!