Krabi Is Full Of Surprises - Part Two

I was still feeling rubbish from last night. I'm not sure what was wrong with me. I wasn't sick but had bad stomach cramps. Dave whispered "have you got the aches" to me the night before. I couldn't stop laughing. No! I wish. I felt much worse than that. The guys were sweet to me all night and kept checking to see if I was ok. It was refreshing to be in the company of nice people, genuine or not, I enjoyed their company.

Due to me feeling lousy, I decided to have a bed day. I did nothing, zero, sweet fa. I had nothing but my TV for company. It was great! There was no way that I could face the heat. I still had a couple of days left in Krabi and didn't fancy going to the beach again. Joey (hotel owner) told me that he took some hungover residents to the local all natural hot springs. They were suffering from the after-effects of the full moon party. I know that feeling. I asked Joey how to get there but he said it's too far for a taxi, as in it'd cost a lot to go on my own. Damn my lack of Krabi friends. Dave and John headed out to Koh Phi Phi and would be heading back home before I had chance to see them again. They were only in Thailand for a three week holiday. I had no idea what the Americans were doing and didn't have their contact details to check. Joey showed me a tour I could go on that included the springs. It was only around 10GBP so I went for it.

It was another early start for the trip and, as usual, I had a terrible night's sleep. I wasn't too fussed as I thought I'd just snooze on the bus. I boarded the bus and there was one other girl on there. I was too tired to talk so grabbed a solo seat near the back. The dirver made two or three other stops and picked up the rest. Our guide, yo-yo or jo-jo (male) asked us to all introduce ourselves. The girl I saw before announced her name, Milou and said she's from Holland. Poor Milou was shifted to the front of the bus, right next to the driver, so the others could sit together. I'm glad they chose her as I wouldn't have been happy not having a proper seat. The rest of the passengers were all Malaysian and didn't seem to speak much English. Well either that or they were anti-social! Milou and I soon paired up and spent the rest of the day together. 

First stop was the Emerald Pool.

We swam around for a bit but, as beautiful as it was, I got a little bored. The pool was quite shallow and there wasn't that much to see. Milou and I headed out in search of another pool there. We were told we couldn't swim in it but we had nothing else to do. The other passengers were really slow at getting into the water. Most actually stayed out and watched from the sides. They do know that this trip is mainly water-based right? Milou and I giggled to ourselves and went off through the jungle.

The wooden slat pathway was unstable in parts! I had a few close calls.

We decided to get up close and personal with nature.

...and then we saw it. The Blue Pool. Wow. It was a great sight.

We took photos of the Malaysians so it was only polite that they return the favour. Look at how brown my arms are compared to the rest of me. Still pasty as ever though. I'm working on it people!

I managed to take a few photos of the rainforest when, naturally, it started to rain.

We moved on to the trip's highlight...the hot springs. It was bliss.

One of the Malaysian couples leaned over and asked if we had anything like this in our home countries. I'm not aware of any all natural hot springs in the UK. I know there are spas and hot springs in the UK but I think they're artificial. I could be wrong of course. I believe Milou stated the same about her home country. Our time at the springs was over far too quickly but it was starting to get a little crowded. I felt so clean and refreshed. Milou and the guide kept ribbing me about how tired I was. The hot springs certainly didn't help. I was ready to have a rest. We stopped briefly for lunch and moved on to the jungle trek and tiger temple. Milou and I were the only ones from the group not doing the elephant trek. I'd already been in Bangkok so was fine opting out of this one. Milou and I were left to our own devices so had a gander through the jungle.

There were caves similar to the ones I saw near the James Bond island.

There were giant trees which looked extraordinary. I'd never seen anything like them.

No shit!

We moved on when Milou spotted something. Can you see it?

Milou ran away which was expected after she previously revealed her fear of snakes to me! I wasn't that bothered so went in for a closer inspection (above). I couldn't fit the whole thing in one frame so thought I'd take a shot of it's face so you can see it's not a twig!

We thought the jungle trek would take longer but we were done within 20 minutes. By this point, it was late in the day and I could have really done with a nap. We then pondered the thought of trekking up the 1237 steps to the top of the mountain...

Tiger temple without the real tigers like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

That looks like a lot of steps.

I was left with the options of either sitting down for over an hour until we boarded the bus and went home or tackle the mountain climb. Not only can I not stand sitting around doing nothing (cordoned off lazy days are completely different), but I saw this mountain climb as a challenge. Post Fuji-San, I felt I had something to prove. Milou was less enthusiastic as she was just getting over a bout of sickness. The other passengers wanted to take up the challenge. They said to me that last year they came and made it to the 960th step but couldn't go any further and returned. This story came from an incredibly slim and seemingly athletic girl. I wondered what pain awaited me!

Man these steps were steep! Every so often I saw a number painted in red on the blue posts indicating the step number I was at. It helped...a lot!

Wow. I wasn't even half way up and I wanted to take photos of the view.

The steps became even steeper. I wasn't necessarily regretting my decision but knew that there was no going back. I was exhausted but ploughed on.

About three quarters of the way up...

and higher still...

I made it. Cue the music - Tune! Gonna fly noooooow. What a song. I was singing this to myself (inside my head...there were people around!) as I circled the mountain platform.

Don't look down...too late!

What a view.

The Buddha.

A bit more of a perspective on how high up I am...gulp!

I glanced at my watch and realised I only had around 15 minutes to get back to the bus. Uh-oh. So began the descent. It was harder than I thought it would be. I couldn't run down the steps as they were so steep and the momentum would most likely send me flying. I almost fell off one mountain, that's enough scares for me! As I neared the bottom I saw some old friends.

There were these two girls with their mother. They were freaking out big time. I thought that if I walked through them and they saw how the monkeys are more scared me of me than I am of them, that they'd shut up. My intentions were actually genuine. I felt bad for them and wanted to help. I took the above photo quickly. My legs started to shake - I was tired and working on one small meal. My body understandably couldn't handle it. The girls laughed as they thought I was scared. Pah! I strolled down and the monkeys fled. The girls followed and the bloody monkeys jumped back. The girls went absolutely mental. They burst into tears, squealed and screamed as if someone was scratching their eyes out. One of the girls leapt forward like Superman. Surely she'd do more damage flinging herself down steps than being grabbed by a monkey. What a loon. I'd had enough and left the mum to it. I tried.

I made it just in the nick of time. I noticed that I didn't see any of the Malaysians or Milou on the way down. They gave up which means that I was the only one in the tour group to make it to the top. Wait for it...Yes! Pop the hip baby! I was happy, very happy.

I thought that our day was over but we stopped off at a souvenir shop. Pfft. I saw a cafe and thought they'd be able to provide me with a much needed sugar fix. I had a mocha frappe with rainbow sprinkles. It was awesome and dirt cheap. I was even happier. Milou and I decided to have a snoop around the souvenir shop. The shop workers thrusted cake and cookie samples at me. Hey, I don't need asking twice! Milou told me about how the guide had spent most of the trip persuing her. He asked for her number, Facebook details and wanted to meet her again. Crikey! Normally I'm the one who gets the weirdos!

I went a little crazy but I wasn't sure when I'd next find decent sweets!

The day was over and I was smiling. The next day I made my way to Koh Phi Phi. I was a little nervous like I always am when moving to a new place. I shouldn't have been as I had a great time but that's another story...

It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times...

Worst eavesdropping moment:
Girl: "I've just come from Laos...they had really weird rules at the place I stayed...if you slept with the same guy more than three times you had to down two shots of urine. Pretty crazy right?
Guy: "Woooah. So what did you do?"
Girl: "What do you think?"

I was still on a high from my snorkelling trip the day before and awoke with a bubbling feeling of excitement. My next destination was Koh Phangan. I'd heard mixed reviews about this island but was keen to get a taste of the night life there. I had made loose plans to meet up with the guys I sang karaoke with earlier in my trip. With that in mind, I didn't feel too pressurised in making new friends and decided to sit back and relax...

The journey across was short but by no means sweet. I had one whole hour of torture courtesy of a couple and their demon child who refused to stay quiet. Squealing, screaming, stomping...seriously, what is wrong with you? Give him a lolly or something to pacify him before my eardrums burst. Soon enough, it was over and I had arrived. I departed the boat in search of my free taxi transfer to my accommodation. There was no sign with my name on and no trace of anyone from my accommodation. Great. After traipsing around at a complete loss, I was told that I needed to call my accommodation and request to be picked up. I was driven to what felt like the middle of nowhere. My bungalow wasn't as nice as the one in Koh Tao. The fan was miles away from the bed and the shower emitted a dribble of cold water. But things looked up as the place seemed to have a similar vibe to the hostel I stayed in back in Bangkok. There was a deck with cushions on and a TV. There wasn't that many people around when I arrived but I could tell that it was quite a nice place to chill out.

So this is what they must mean when they say the beach is just a stone's throw away. Well in this case the thrower must have the strength of Mr Burns as the beach is just a drunken crawl away.

I decided to go out for a stroll and get a feel for the place that I'd be calling "home" for the next six nights. The area was quiet and a lot of the places were shut. Obviously this part of the island comes alive at night. I decided to head back and chill out in the lounge. There was a large group of guys sat in the centre of the cushioned platform. I decided to sit just to the side, within earshot so I could hopefully join in the conversation at some point. I felt like the creepy guy sidling up to a group of girls in a nightclub hoping to get lucky. Is this what I have been reduced to? In Japan, it seemed a lot easier making friends. Everyone was so warm, happy and welcoming. I've not gotten the same kind of feeling from Thailand so far. Bangkok was fine and Koh Tao was quiet and peaceful. Koh Phangan reminds me of the loud drunken friend who ruins the party for everyone. The one with the inappropriate jokes and the look-at-me attitude to life. I didn't fit in well at all. I tried on multiple occasions to talk to these guys but I couldn't get more than a couple of words and a nod. Defeated, I skulked off to my bungalow for some rest. Surely things can only get better right?

Haha, wrong. It felt like I'd been catapulted back to my youth. The moments when it was me and everyone else. I was an outcast. I wasn't part of the cool gang. I'd missed the lesson on how to be. I decided to accept my fate and rely on meeting the guys from earlier in my trip. I'd hoped to be rescued. Somehow, I managed to find them and organise a meet, yet something still felt strange. I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't put my finger on it until it was too late. Everyone came to Koh Phangan with friends and I came alone hoping to find and make friends. Everyone else had someone to rely on, somebody watching their backs. Who did I have? Some guys I got merry with and sang together one night a couple of weeks ago. Shit, I'm not going to be in their thoughts when we all get totally smashed. Unfortunately this thought only dawned on me when I was past drunk. I was clutching the nearest Canadian for dear life. What was I doing here? This isn't me.

Then everything went black. All I remember is drinking the dreaded Sang Som buckets whilst trying to keep up with everyone else. I remember entering the full moon party, dancing and then nothing. I was picked up by a group of Irish girls who were trying to piece together what had happened. Somehow they dragged my ass back to where I was staying. Why were these girls being so nice to me? These heroic strangers plucked me out of the oblivion and helped me without no hesitation. I remember one girl saying, "Us girls have got to stick together. Don't you be sorry." If only I had met them before the party, maybe things might have been different. I might have had a good time. Instead, I awoke to the flashbacks of the night before...being violently sick in the bathroom and trying to take out my contact lenses only to realise I'd already done so. Now I have always thought to myself that everyone has a talent. This could be related to a hobby - singing, playing the drums, writing - or their career, or just generally being awesome. I've always struggled to find what my talent is. I do have somewhat of a party trick. No matter how drunk or tired I am, I can somehow take out my lenses and pack them away for cleaning. I wear monthlies. Now those of you who wear contact lenses know what this entails but let me explain. You need to scoop out each lens and put it into a specific capped compartment. You then need to fill a separate small capsule with lens solution up to a certain marked point. You then submerge the capped compartments into the solution and screw it shut. How in the hell did I manage to do that!? I am impressed. Probably the only one who is, but hell, that is my party trick, it's all I have.

I felt disgraceful as I walked down to reception to explain that my room needed gutting. If the room would stop spinning I'd clean up the mess myself. Without hesitation my room was spotless within the hour. I don't believe I was the first nor will I be the last to throw up in their room but it still didn't make me feel any better. This shame cannot be washed away as easily. I went back into my room and burst into tears. I'd never felt so alone. I had a sudden urge to be back home calling my friend to tell him all about it. He would reassure me that everything was ok and tell me funny stories to make me feel better about myself. I have nobody to run to here. What had started off as the best of times had quickly turned into the worst of times. There's no point in hiding it. I felt pretty bad.

I spent most of the day nursing my wounded pride and my head injury. It was too hot to move. It was then that I noticed my newly acquired tan lines. I now resemble a fruit pastille ice lolly except the colours fade in and out from brown to white. I burst out laughing. What a ridiculous sight I make. Despite the melancholy of the past few days, I knew I'd pull myself back up and plough on. I always do. I have plenty more adventures ahead and this isn't the end. I knew that my trip wouldn't all be filled with laughs and funny photos. I knew that there would be a point where I'd have to write a blog post like this. Now I have gotten it out of the way, things can only get better.

As I write this blog, I realise that Koh Phangan is full of casualties. I'd say one in three people I see is sporting a bandage of some description and some need crutches. They even have a name for it - Phangan tattoo. I saw one tourist with a hook for a hand. Shit. I got off lightly!

On The Buses

"Sing like no one is listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody is watching and live like it's heaven on earth."
Mark Twain

A very apt quote I believe, for I am currently singing the wrong words to Travis songs and plan on boogying to a few other tunes later thanks to an iPod and dock and an empty house. Ben, my Fuji-buddy, kindly offered me his couch and has gone to work like a normal person. I, on the other hand, am relaxing in that fact that I won't have to do anything like that for a couple of months at least. Alas, this is proving to be quite a distraction but I must persevere. I have stories to tell you...

The long and winding journey from Koya-san back down to Osaka left me with little time to enjoy any of the sights. Instead, I needed food and I needed to find the bus terminal. The latter being easier said than done. I think I brushed past the fact that I missed my bus in Tokyo. I was using the same bus company so was a little apprehensive to say the least. This was my number one priority so, despite being on the verge of passing out from hunger, I needed to find the Umeda Sky Building. I struggled to find the correct stop. I printed out a map and directions from the bus company's website and it showed me directions from Osaka Station and Umeda Station. I was in Shin-Osaka. I had no idea if this was a good thing or not. I decided to go to Umeda seen as the building is called Umeda Sky Building. It already started to get dark as I was travelling down to Osaka. This is not good as I couldn't tell each building apart. If you think it's easy for me to get lost during daylight hours, imagine how completely useless I am at night.

The first line of the instructions told me that I needed to find the Yodobashi Camera store. I found it straight away. The elation nearly knocked me over. Although, that could have been the beast tipping over in my weakened state. I then began to follow the instructions to the letter and did not end up in the places that were listed. I was irritable and felt like throwing the beast off and cursing the skies again. Shin-Osaka was very busy, so I dismounted the beast and mopped the sea of sweat that had accumulated on my brow and screwed up my directions. Out of nowhere an English speaking guy (not sure of nationality) asked me where I needed to be. I told him that I needed to catch a bus from the Umeda Sky Building. He asked if it was a Willer bus and chuckled in a "you're not the first to get tied up in knots over finding the bus terminals" when I said yes. I needed food and the only place within collapsing distance was a First Kitchen. The food didn't look that great but I needed calories. I ate a wrap and some fries. It wasn't that great but I didn't care. Anything was better than nothing.

The journey from then on was easy. I found the bus terminal and settled down on the nearest available seat. If it's any consolation (it wasn't), I realised that because Yodobashi Camera was situated on a corner and had two sides to the building, it would be difficult for anyone to decide which left turn to take!? It just says find Yodobashi Camera and turn left. From which side though! I didn't really care after that point though. I'd found the place, that's all that matters now.

The bus departed at midnight. The bus driver decided to give a running commentary in Japanese as to what was happening. Half an hour later he was still going. I wanted my sleep. I had the growing inclination to throw something at him. All I had was a blanket which was keeping me warm and wouldn't actually cause any physical harm so that option was out of the question. I had an empty plastic bottle so maybe if I angle it correctly...this thought pattern continued for a while until I drifted off into a light sleep. Occasionally the girl next to me elbowed me. At first it was for territorial reasons as she really wanted my arm rest. I gave it to her as I wasn't that fussed. After she commandeered the arm rest, she still wasn't happy and the elbowing continued. I am not at my best when I'm sleep deprived or hungry so elbowing me at this point in time really wasn't a wise decision on her part. I let her get a few elbows in out of kindness and subconsciously decided that if she elbowed me one more t...she elbowed me again. I then resembled a person prepping themselves for the pitcher's mound/rubber in baseball. If I had enough room, my arm would be assuming a windmill motion. I was going in for the kill. I elbowed her back. Not with so much force that it would bring her to tears nor a nudge that could be mistaken for a sleepy error. I elbowed with gumption, leaving the thought trail that there is more of this to come if you elbow me again. It worked. I wasn't elbowed again. Harsh? Perhaps. But a lesson needed to be learned and I felt that I provided said lesson.

After the driver's speech and my battering from elbow-girl, I really didn't have any chance of a good night's rest. We arrived into Hiroshima 20 minutes early. At 6:10am, the place was deserted. I decided to make a sharp exit before elbow-girl noted my face and reported me to the police. I couldn't check into the hostel until 8am but wanted to give myself at least an hour to get lost, rest, buy a drink, wander around, rest then arrive at the hostel. This is normally what happens unless the hostel is situated next to the station. This hostel was about 10 minutes away with the beast in tow. By some miracle, I found the hostel without any problems. Crazy. I was about half an hour early so I grabbed some food from the 7/11 round the corner and took temporary residence on their front doorstep.

I couldn't check into my room until 3pm but I was able to leave the beast and other items in storage. I needed a little rest so had breakfast and then set out to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and the surrounding area. I wasn't sure what to expect but had heard very good things about the museum so was looking forward to it. The main mode of transport in Hiroshima is the tram. A new transport system to figure out, lovely. It was ok actually and found my way to the museum without any hassles.

Before I entered the museum I saw reminders of the devastation caused that day.

 At 8:15am on August 6th 1945, the first atomic bomb (to be used in a war) was dropped on Hiroshima. The A-bomb dome (above) was 160 metres from the hypocenter. The shell of the building withstood the blast and arguments ensued regarding whether the remains should be demolished or preserved.

After visiting the museum, I find it remarkable that this building still stands!

Managed to get a better view from the museum

 There were a lot of paper crane displays. This one had a photo of Stephanie Meran Peterson. I tried looking online as to why her photo was there but couldn't find anything. Stephanie has passed but I'm not sure why her photo is at the memorial.

 This memorial tower commemorates the 6300 students conscripted to work in Hiroshima's munitions factories. There were no survivors. I read about their sad stories in the museum.

 This is the Children's Peace Monument which stands as a memory of all children who died as a result of the atomic bomb. The monument was originally inspired by schoolgirl Sadako Sasaki. Many of you may have heard of her story. Sadako was two years old when the bomb dropped but survived the initial blast. Years later, at the age of 12, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia. In her final months, Sadako began folding paper cranes with the aim of reaching 1000. With this, she believed her wish of living would be granted. What is confusing is that I read that Sadako never reached her goal and her school friends folded the rest. However, the museum states that Sadako reached her target of 1000 and continued until she died. The museum has a dedicated section to Sadako's story. There is a timeline from birth to death. It is a very moving read. Sadoko's friends raised money for the above memorial.

Paper crane stands surround the monument.

 The park itself contains the Peace Flame which will remain ignited until the last nuclear weapon is disarmed. The arch structure above a stone chest is the Cenotaph. This contains all the victims of the atomic bomb. It is said that this list is updated each year.

The Peace Memorial Museum holds a balanced account and is hauntingly captivating. The museum is split into sections. There is a part which demonstrates what the area of Hiroshima was like before the bomb. Another part describes the bomb and the lead up to the dropping. The next section shows the aftermath with another section purely filled with written accounts and donated items from that day. There are graphic descriptions and the stories are horrific. It is really horrifying and it does make you think a lot about what happened. Most Brits were taught about the war back in school but most of it was long forgotten. I made sure I read everything and truly absorbed the history. It is mind-boggling that in one split second everything goes from ok to ash. One minute you're sat in the kitchen cooking dinner for your family and the next...nothing.

 Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims - Hall of Remembrance (pictured left). This is a stunning 360 degree panorama of the destroyed Hiroshima recreated using 140,000 tiles - the number of people estimated to have died from the bomb by the end of 1945.
 
I spent a long time in this area. I was worn out so ended up falling asleep in a seating area half way round the museum. I wasn't the only one who was snoozing so I didn't feel too daft. After my power nap and viewing all there is to see, I ventured back to the hostel for a much needed shower. By the time I settled down and ran a few errands, it was time for dinner. I rubbed my hands with glee as I knew exactly what I wanted to eat this evening. Okonomiyaki, Hiroshima style. I had an idea of where a restaurant was nearby and I found it despite the rain. For some reason I can navigate my way round Hiroshima with ease. Strange.

 

 Everyone's food looked so good I couldn't wait to eat mine

Unfortunately I got confused and ordered the wrong dish. I had some very nice noodles though with a fried egg on top. It was beautiful. Who knew a fried egg on noodles would taste so good. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get what I came for but thought I'd come back and order the right dish the following day. I needed dessert...

 

The server in the supermarket gave me two forks, assuming that I would share the two slices of cake with someone else. I have no friends in Hiroshima just yet so looks like I'll have to eat both slices. Shame.

Reports came through that another typhoon was about to hit. I found this out in Osaka but thought I would dodge it by going south. Turns out the typhoon found me. I intended on heading up to Tokyo on Wednesday (this day being Monday) so decided to head to Miyajima the next day despite the rain. I did Nikko in the rain and it was fine.

Temple Binge

All my days have merged into one and I'm finding it increasingly difficult to remember what I've done and the order of events. I never know what day it is, which doesn't help. I've decided to start writing a bullet list of the day's events to jog my memory so hopefully my blog  is still intelligible and isn't a complete mess.

On that note, I remembered that I forgot to describe part of my day last Sunday. I visited the Imperial Palace. I probably repressed this memory as it was an arse to get to, I ran into a couple of pervy locals and was greeted by a massive spider while on the toilet. I made a speedy exit. The thing that I have found most difficult about Kyoto is navigating my way from bus stop to bus stop then to temple. It would be so much easier if I had my own personal taxi to ferry me about to each place. I've wasted so much time faffing about and getting lost that I've not done as much as most would assume given the time I have spent here The only minor regret is that I didn't make it to Gion to see the geisha and experience the traditional tea ceremony. It would have been very expensive but a worthwhile expenditure.

If I remember rightly, I left you at Monday where I attempted to do the Lonely Planet walking tour but gave up after sweating profusely and losing my bus pass. The next day I decided to put my pass in a safe place where it wouldn't fall out or blow away...my bra. It bloody worked too so I'm not ashamed to say it. I realised that I couldn't keep a bicycle overnight unless I paid for two days. Instead, I bought a bus pass. I had a rough idea of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see but didn't fixate too much on that in case I got lost or passed out from heat exhaustion.

My attempt at getting up early failed. This is not the first time and will surely not be the last. I did however manage to make it to Nishi Hongwanji again to see the musical ceremony that was taking place. Although I visited the temple on the Saturday (?) and attended the memorial service, this ceremony was different. It only happens once every 50 years and, as the subject suggests, is more musical. I managed to get more photos this time and stayed behind after the ceremony to take photos of the alter in the Goeido Hall.

Similar procession as the previous ceremony

 These guys were also present at the last ceremony. At this point I began to panic and think that I'd got it wrong and I'm just watching the same ceremony as before!

I like this photo as I manage to get just one guy in focus.

Thankfully it was a different ceremony. I was sat quite near the back so couldn't really see how many people were present. Suddenly a boom of voices echoed in the hall and a series chants emanated around me. The sound was hypnotising. I had a booklet containing song sheets with the words written down for me to sing along but I had no idea which page they were reading from. I decided to sit back and leave it to the professionals. I later found that the capacity of the hall is 3500 so that bellowing sound was justified!

 Side view of the alter

 I managed to fight the crowd and get a little closer

Each of these were beaten during the ceremony. Despite the small stature of these instruments, the sound does reach you wherever you are sat.

 Different kinds of offerings were situated at each side of the shrine.

I tried various angles but couldn't frame the entire front.

I'm obsessed with these lamps. They are so beautiful.

After much gawking and photo taking, I decided to move on. There was plenty more of Kyoto I had yet to see.

Traditional dress in Kyoto was not uncommon

My next destination was Kinkaku-Ji, a golden buddhist temple. I was told this and the silver pavillion were must-sees in Kyoto. The are on opposite sides of Kyoto but I was determined to see each by the end of the day.

It was impossible to take a bad photo of the serene Kinkaku-Ji.

A lovely clear day makes for a great reflection.

One of many I took...

...close up...



...and different angles.

Steps on a hot day, why!? Each temple tests me with their endless steps. It is like a true Rocky moment.

Interesting bug. They like to fly at your face and scare the crap out of you too.

This looked like hard work

I don't know if this is another aspect of Japanese culture or not, but what I love about each place I visit is the calm and peace within. There are no screaming bratty kids demanding ice creams, there are no people yelling "aww myy gawwwd" at the top of their lungs, no rowing couples, no grumpy old people...is there a loud social sector I have missed? It makes my time in Japan all the better for it. The children here are so well behaved too and so far, I have not met one ugly baby. Each baby/toddler/child is absolutely adorable. Coming from someone who hates children, it's rather shocking. They always stare with a curious look with a tinge of disgust, as if to say "what are yooou doing in my country you weird looking creature?" I've not seen that many children have temper tantrams but when they do the parents either stand and wait for them to shut up or ignore them. It works too. Around 30 seconds later the child runs along and laughs as if nothing had happened. It's weird but mesmerising. I can't remember the last time I went this far without wanting to beat a child in public...

I decided to take a slight detour to Ryoan-Ji Temple which contains a famous rock garden. Perhaps I'm not enlightened enough to witness it's true beauty as I was seriously underwhelmed.

I wasn't the only one though. Most people clumped together in the shade and messed around on their phones. I took this opportunity to have a rest and cool down before heading off to Ginkaku-Ji.

On my way to my next stop I saw this:

Well if it's good enough for Leo...

 Grounds leading up to Ginkaku-Ji

A nice view after a steep climb.

I didn't manage to get as good a shot as the gold pavillion.

As I walked down from the temple, I put my camera away and sighed with relief. That's me done for the day, now I need to find a place that has air conditioning and veg out for a bit. Now I have come to find that moments after putting my camera away, I tend to miss a great shot, usually a candid of some kind. I thought this was another one of those times. I saw the cutest little girl in a pink kimono along with her mother, also dressed in the traditional robe. Stay calm. Remove camera and take a photo...now!

I knew the shot I wanted. It was similar to this but better of course. Terrible framing. Not happy.

Before I knew it, the family disappeared into a shop and I felt a bit stalker-ish just hanging around to take a shot from behind. I was about to leave and then changed my mind. Perseverance.

I think the mother twigged that I was following them. I decided to ask them if I could take a picture and got this. It's not a candid but I still like it.

They might not be of a publishable standard but these are some of my favourite shots.

This was a nice round off to the day. I have seen a lot in Kyoto and am happy for that reason. It's just a shame that I haven't met as many people as I did when I was in Tokyo.