SACCADES: Hokkaido December 2008

It was an enjoyable and a blessed holiday trip at Hokkaido.

Stayed in 2 ski resorts this time - the good old Hirafutei, at Hirafu Niseko for 4 nights and tried the popular Rusutsu for 2 nights. There were total of 19 of us on this trip together.

Weather was slightly less than perfect:

First it was raining!! (real bad news for ski resorts) when we arrived. The rain stopped in the evening and had overnight snow; but not enough to cover the lower slope the next morning.....encountered plenty of slippery icy patches on the way down.

Then came heavy snowing (and overcast) for the next 3 days - only had 2 hours of sunshine in 4 days. First time I brought my DSLR (heavy hand carry- cam + laptop + EHD) and could only use it outdoor because of the down pour. Everything was gray/white, snowy and the Mt Yutei was hidden behind the dense cloud everyday, except the 2 hrs (and I missed it). I had never yearned for the sun so..so much(except when I was in Glasgow in 1988). And learned to appreciate the clear blue sky when I returned after that few days of longing.

The weather cleared on the day when we were transferred to Rusutsu. Captured a glimpse of the Mountain(the pseudoFuji, Mt Yotei) from the coach. Had relatively fine days at Rusutsu. There was Christmas eve fireworks celebration at Rusutsu.

Then the snow storm returned on the 26th when we were due to fly to Osaka. The Chitose airport was closed in the morning and the flights were canceled. It was like a war zone. 11 of us were very lucky to be able to fly off after less than 1.5 hrs of delay and spent the night in Osaka as planned.

Well, that's really something beyond our control and planning - the weather - the snow - the sunshine.

But most of all, everyone enjoyed the trip with no major injuries ( only many bruised knees ).