Sounds like the title of a lost Graham Greene novel. I'm sitting at the computer on a tatami mat amid a chaos of half-packed bags, Kerry is making French toast, and we are awaiting a ride to the subway (and hence the train to Osaka, the plane to Tokyo, and the night flight home) in two hours.
As the trip (and blog) concludes, I am conscious of having written about far, far less of our experiences than I meant to. I have kept a sporadic diary too, but on more days than not we have been just too busy to record what we were doing, even in the most telegraphic list-like form, much less reflecting at length on it.
Just one example: as we biked the river yesterday I was thinking about the differences between the courtly, precise, always-careful-not-to-offend manners of Thailand and (in a different way) Japan, as compared to the brusqueness (to put it politely) of Vietnam or China. To us, the Chinese and Vietnamese can seem extraordinarily pushy, rude and uncouth... and that, I suspect, is just how we seem to the Thais and Japanese. Just one thing I wanted to write about in more detail and have not.
Anyway, I have loved that aspect of Japan - along with its related obsession with aesthetics, the gorgeous gardens etc etc - and wish I could have done a crash course in the language and history and then spent a month or two here. Next time, perhaps... extended travel does make you greedy!
And yet... in another way I'm truly looking forward to coming home.
Time for breakfast.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Last day in Kyoto
We've been having a wonderful time in Kyoto. There are far more sights to see than can possibly be seen in 4 days, so we've tried to hit a few of the highlights, while balancing them with spending time exploring the city. Today we had a lovely bike ride up the tow path on the Yama River, all the way to the shrine where my brother Keith and his wife Noriko were married. The shrine was bustling with activity, since there is a huge festival being held in two days there.
From there, we biked back down the river, turned East, and went back to Ginkakaju, a temple we'd missed the other day. When we realized it was closed for renovation, we treated ourselves to brown rice profiteroles (yummy), then biked the philosopher's walk. We'd walked it the other day, but I decided that I much preferred it by bike.
Next we went to the Kalaedoscope museum. Yup, there is such a thing, and it's well worth taking a look. I had never realized how many different kinds of kalaedoscopes there are, nor how seriously artists take the form. The best thing about the museum is that they have about 50 on display at any given time, and you can pick them up and look through them all. My absolute favorite was one that you looked through to view ribbons that you rolled and unrolled.
A bit more biking, a bit more souvenir shopping, and now we're cleaning up before going to dinner. Last night's dinner featured the world's biggest bowls of ramen, so tonight we're going for soba. Then we have to pack and face a very long travel day.
From there, we biked back down the river, turned East, and went back to Ginkakaju, a temple we'd missed the other day. When we realized it was closed for renovation, we treated ourselves to brown rice profiteroles (yummy), then biked the philosopher's walk. We'd walked it the other day, but I decided that I much preferred it by bike.
Next we went to the Kalaedoscope museum. Yup, there is such a thing, and it's well worth taking a look. I had never realized how many different kinds of kalaedoscopes there are, nor how seriously artists take the form. The best thing about the museum is that they have about 50 on display at any given time, and you can pick them up and look through them all. My absolute favorite was one that you looked through to view ribbons that you rolled and unrolled.
A bit more biking, a bit more souvenir shopping, and now we're cleaning up before going to dinner. Last night's dinner featured the world's biggest bowls of ramen, so tonight we're going for soba. Then we have to pack and face a very long travel day.
Monday, May 11, 2009
English (or lack thereof) in Japan
We've been very busy here, trundling around to various temples, wandering through neighborhoods, and generally trying to see as much as we can in our last few days. We've walked a lot, we've ridden public buses, we've taken railways and subways, and we've even rented bikes. And in all this, we've been struck by how little English is here. There are few street signs in English, the subway and buses have almost no English, and we've been in several dining places with no English menus or spoken English (thank goodness for the plastic food in the window; point and you shall receive).
Now, you may ask why we would expect English in Japan. After all, we're the foreigners. And it's not like Seattle exactly rolls out the welcome mat in Japanese. But. We have been amazed at how much English we encountered throughout SE Asia, especially street signs and public maps. I don't think I'd realized just how much, until we got here and navigating became noticeably harder.
This isn't a complaint, just an observation. We're getting the hang of things, and folks here have been very warm and helpful with our butchered attempts at Japanese and our "point and look stupid" method of getting around. We really like Kyoto, and wish that we could spend more time here.
Now, you may ask why we would expect English in Japan. After all, we're the foreigners. And it's not like Seattle exactly rolls out the welcome mat in Japanese. But. We have been amazed at how much English we encountered throughout SE Asia, especially street signs and public maps. I don't think I'd realized just how much, until we got here and navigating became noticeably harder.
This isn't a complaint, just an observation. We're getting the hang of things, and folks here have been very warm and helpful with our butchered attempts at Japanese and our "point and look stupid" method of getting around. We really like Kyoto, and wish that we could spend more time here.
One last post about toilets
Having said that most of the toilets in SE Asia surprised me with their cleanliness, I have to say that Chinese toilets were pretty bad. Mostly they were squat toilets, and mostly they were not very clean, but what made them stand out was the plumbing. Not only can you not flush the paper, the sewers don't seem to deal well with anything, and the smell (even in a clean toilet) was pretty potent.
One thing China did do well, though, was have easily available public toilets. Since many areas historically lack plumbing in individual dwellings, there are lots of public loos. We have a picture of one brand new one of these, complete with a row of 5 or 6 new, Toto squats, with automatic flushes. Of course, they don't bother with separate stalls, so you squat right next to the next person. (Note, that when there are stalls, older Chinese women don't usually bother with shutting the doors anyways, and usually do up their trousers in the hallway.) The automatic flush on a squat toilet is a bit interesting too, since if you're not careful, it can flush unexpectedly and they occasionally spray with enthusiasm.
Oh, and China was the first place that I saw the dirty footprints on the seat of the one Western toilet in the bathroom.
Here in Japan, the toilets are clean, you can flush the paper, and there is an SOS button in nearly all the stalls in public places. In spite of all this, we have yet to find any soap in any public washroom.
The toilet in our house is so high tech we can't figure out how to work it, but I will say the heated seat is pretty nifty. We can't figure out what all the other buttons are for. And it has a gray water system--there is a small sink over the tank. After you flush, the tank refills through a faucet over the sink, and you can wash your hands in that water. It is then stored for the next flush.
One thing China did do well, though, was have easily available public toilets. Since many areas historically lack plumbing in individual dwellings, there are lots of public loos. We have a picture of one brand new one of these, complete with a row of 5 or 6 new, Toto squats, with automatic flushes. Of course, they don't bother with separate stalls, so you squat right next to the next person. (Note, that when there are stalls, older Chinese women don't usually bother with shutting the doors anyways, and usually do up their trousers in the hallway.) The automatic flush on a squat toilet is a bit interesting too, since if you're not careful, it can flush unexpectedly and they occasionally spray with enthusiasm.
Oh, and China was the first place that I saw the dirty footprints on the seat of the one Western toilet in the bathroom.
Here in Japan, the toilets are clean, you can flush the paper, and there is an SOS button in nearly all the stalls in public places. In spite of all this, we have yet to find any soap in any public washroom.
The toilet in our house is so high tech we can't figure out how to work it, but I will say the heated seat is pretty nifty. We can't figure out what all the other buttons are for. And it has a gray water system--there is a small sink over the tank. After you flush, the tank refills through a faucet over the sink, and you can wash your hands in that water. It is then stored for the next flush.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Hello from Kyoto
After a longish day, we arrived in Kyoto last night. We are renting a very small house (though it's bigger than our apartment in Paris) in the north east part of the city. We have just made our very own scrambled eggs (no browned bits!) and toast, and are headed out to see what we can see. There's so much here, 4 days can't possibly be enough.
It feels like such a luxury to be able to drink tap water.
It feels like such a luxury to be able to drink tap water.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Leaving for Japan
Bad connection here in Beijing so I have not been able to post any pictures and will keep this short. Unbelievable, but this is our last morning in mainland Asia... we've got a couple of hours after breakfast to wander back to Tiananmen and round the neighborhood one more time, then we're off to the airport and will be in Kyoto this evening. Yesterday, an interesting day at the vast Summer Palace - more a city than a palace; on Thursday, a brilliant day that I'll never forget on the Great Wall.
Goodbye China! Goodbye SE Asia! Can we REALLY have been traveling for 143 days?
Goodbye China! Goodbye SE Asia! Can we REALLY have been traveling for 143 days?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Beijing
It's been really hard to blog from here (internet connection is not good, and we are so, so busy), but there's so much to say.
I'm absolutely blown away by Beijing. I was here 20 years ago (just 4 months after the protests in Tiananmen Square), and things have changed more than I could possibly have imagined.
We are staying in a 2 star hotel in a funky little hutong neighborhood. Hutongs are the traditional neighborhoods, with one story buildings (sometimes two, but rarely). Most folks don't have their own bathing facilities, so there are public loos and baths every block or so, and the houses are small, so there is lots of life on the streets. Traditionally, these neighborhoods are rabbit warren like, and full of smells and sounds and sights. But in walking around (and we have walked upwards of 8 miles a day here), we've seen "new" hutongs--areas that were flattened and rebuilt by the government in anticipation of the Olympics. The shape is the same, and the buildings are similar, but everything is new. It's hard to describe how disconcerting it all is.
And then there are the huge skyscrapers, the high end malls (Louis Vitton, anyone?) and the fabulous subway/metro system that costs just 30 cents regardless of how far you ride. We went today too to see the Bird's Nest and the Cube. The TV never captured just how much space there is surrounding these buildings. And I never imagined that they were turning into derelict structures, because they can't find sporting events to host in them.
We've got lots more to say about Beijing, but we've got to get up in 9 hours to go see the Great Wall.
Only 8 more days on the road, and then we're home. We can't believe it, and are trying to fit in as much as we can. It's going to be a hard transition.
I'm absolutely blown away by Beijing. I was here 20 years ago (just 4 months after the protests in Tiananmen Square), and things have changed more than I could possibly have imagined.
We are staying in a 2 star hotel in a funky little hutong neighborhood. Hutongs are the traditional neighborhoods, with one story buildings (sometimes two, but rarely). Most folks don't have their own bathing facilities, so there are public loos and baths every block or so, and the houses are small, so there is lots of life on the streets. Traditionally, these neighborhoods are rabbit warren like, and full of smells and sounds and sights. But in walking around (and we have walked upwards of 8 miles a day here), we've seen "new" hutongs--areas that were flattened and rebuilt by the government in anticipation of the Olympics. The shape is the same, and the buildings are similar, but everything is new. It's hard to describe how disconcerting it all is.
And then there are the huge skyscrapers, the high end malls (Louis Vitton, anyone?) and the fabulous subway/metro system that costs just 30 cents regardless of how far you ride. We went today too to see the Bird's Nest and the Cube. The TV never captured just how much space there is surrounding these buildings. And I never imagined that they were turning into derelict structures, because they can't find sporting events to host in them.
We've got lots more to say about Beijing, but we've got to get up in 9 hours to go see the Great Wall.
Only 8 more days on the road, and then we're home. We can't believe it, and are trying to fit in as much as we can. It's going to be a hard transition.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Amazing Beijing
In a rush...
We arrived in B Monday morning on the train, and have spent both Monday and Tues walking walking walking. Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven Park, four straight hours in the Forbidden City, hutongs (narrow-alleyed traditional neighborhoods). Fascinating - also eye-tearingly polluted. Details later - off to see some of the Olympic stuff today.
We arrived in B Monday morning on the train, and have spent both Monday and Tues walking walking walking. Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven Park, four straight hours in the Forbidden City, hutongs (narrow-alleyed traditional neighborhoods). Fascinating - also eye-tearingly polluted. Details later - off to see some of the Olympic stuff today.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
May Day Holiday in Xian
After visiting the Terracotta Warriors yesterday on the busiest day of the entire year, today (Sunday) we wandered around Xian on the biggest holiday weekend of the year. A second failed attempt to see the history museum (we keep showing up between 11 and 1, when it is supposed to be open but isn't), we picked a random park nearby, expecting 3 acres of scrubby grass and maybe a bench. Instead, Xingqinggong Park is gigantic, and stuffed with bot entertainments and a couple of hundred thousand Xian families enjoying them. Aidan and Declan insisted on trying a "bungee machine" that was totally unsafe and nearly broke both their necks; luckily they felt so sick on it that they lasted about one minute each. After that we just wandered and gaped, and, not for the first time, were amused to be gaped AT by the Chinese.
It's curious to us: Xian is a major tourist destination and yet we keep finding ourselves in places where we are the only non-Chinese in sight. I think it has to do with the fact that we avoid tours like the plague and are fanatical about walking everywhere. After the park we kept walking, and actually got somewhat lost, which necessitated going up to random people and pointing hopefully at a map. Ordinary Chinese, especially in untouristed side-streets, tend to look at us as if we were space aliens - but a smile and a wave brings waves of smiles and mugging in return.
Just hanging out now before an 8.40 night train (our first in China) to Beijing. Will the sleeper cars be any more comfortable than the ones in Vietnam? Could they be even worse? We will soon know.
It's curious to us: Xian is a major tourist destination and yet we keep finding ourselves in places where we are the only non-Chinese in sight. I think it has to do with the fact that we avoid tours like the plague and are fanatical about walking everywhere. After the park we kept walking, and actually got somewhat lost, which necessitated going up to random people and pointing hopefully at a map. Ordinary Chinese, especially in untouristed side-streets, tend to look at us as if we were space aliens - but a smile and a wave brings waves of smiles and mugging in return.
Just hanging out now before an 8.40 night train (our first in China) to Beijing. Will the sleeper cars be any more comfortable than the ones in Vietnam? Could they be even worse? We will soon know.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Terracotta Warriors
Yesterday we went to the terracotta warriors. The drive there was OK but the drive back was hideous because the driver seemed to be on the verge of sleep!
The warriors themselves were not actually all perfectly put together and with heads. Despite what you see in photographs, most of them are either headless or just piles of bits, and most of pit 2 is still under the roof. Most of pit one is broken with just the front part (what you see in photos) put together perfectly with heads.
The warriors are around 2200 years old. There are around 1127 items unearthed and there is expected to be around 7000 figures total with hundreds of chariots and horses. What amazes me is that they still haven't figured out how they fired them!
The warriors themselves were not actually all perfectly put together and with heads. Despite what you see in photographs, most of them are either headless or just piles of bits, and most of pit 2 is still under the roof. Most of pit one is broken with just the front part (what you see in photos) put together perfectly with heads.
The warriors are around 2200 years old. There are around 1127 items unearthed and there is expected to be around 7000 figures total with hundreds of chariots and horses. What amazes me is that they still haven't figured out how they fired them!
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Yesterday, we went to Big Wild Goose Pagoda (BWGP). We had been meaning to go to a museum, but we got there around 11 to find it closed for lunch, even though nothing in our guide book, on the web, or even on the museum's signs said that it did. After a guard offered to sell is tickets even though the ticket office was closed (can we say bribe), we went for a walk. On our walk, we got to the fountain in front of BWGP in the middle of an orchestral water performance, which involved very loud classical music with the water in the fountain accompanying it. Its most distinctive feature was the guards, both male and female, dotted around the fountain, wearing the strangest uniforms. Well, the style of the uniforms wasn't all that weird, but the colors were. The men were dressed in blue jackets, black knee high boots, with white pants tucked into them, and yellow shoulder ropes. The women were wearing hot-pink jackets with yellow shoulder ropes, white skirts, and white knee high, high heel boots.
When the show was done, we walked around the outer wall of BWGP until we got to the entrance. We paid our fees and went into the complex. We first saw the bell and drum towers, which I didn't think were very impressive except for the amount of money on the floor. Then, we went to the entrance of the seven storey main tower and bought separate entrance tickets. Then we climbed the 251 steps to the top and admired the view, which was OK except for Xi'an's pollution haze. Then we left the complex, wandering past the guard dogs (either Shepard, Leonburgers, or Shepard-Golden crosses, but any way, big). Declan and I did a balloon shooting fair stall thing, which was easy because we were about five feet from the balloons. Then we went to lunch and got a taxi back to the hostel.
When the show was done, we walked around the outer wall of BWGP until we got to the entrance. We paid our fees and went into the complex. We first saw the bell and drum towers, which I didn't think were very impressive except for the amount of money on the floor. Then, we went to the entrance of the seven storey main tower and bought separate entrance tickets. Then we climbed the 251 steps to the top and admired the view, which was OK except for Xi'an's pollution haze. Then we left the complex, wandering past the guard dogs (either Shepard, Leonburgers, or Shepard-Golden crosses, but any way, big). Declan and I did a balloon shooting fair stall thing, which was easy because we were about five feet from the balloons. Then we went to lunch and got a taxi back to the hostel.
A New Theory Of Ant Hills
My new theory of ant hills is that they are giant archaeological sights and, despite what scientists may tell you, the ants carrying leaves or other items are the tour guides and the rest are tourists. Also "leaf cutter ants" are tour guides in training.
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