23 years I have walked this earth, as of two days ago.
"So far so good", I wondered as I awoke on the 4th of this new month. I slept in and missed the annual festival of Kitanotenmangu shrine, my newly acquired sunburns left me weak and tired so it wasn't until around 4 p.m. that I finally made my way down there after two bus rides in the suffocating heat. The festival began at 8 a.m. so I had completely missed everything, what remained were a few shrine employees drying nuts under pristine white tarps.
I did enjoy walking around the grounds and chatting with the people, there were these 2 girls from the U.S. that needed translation and the girl selling the γγΎγγ talismans asked for help on spelling and properly pronouncing what I translated. I got to share some information I had learned about Buddhism and Shinto and of course Sugawara no Michizane, who the temple is dedicated to.
I found myself at the place where they sell the talismans in order to buy one for help with my studies, they do sell them everywhere but Sugawara no Michizane was a known scholar in his time and so the Japanese pray to him for everything related to studies. I thought I would too... it couldn't hurt, right?
I later met with Sabine and Edda and we had Indian food and went to the movies to see Inception, starring some of Hollywood's finest. Leaving the theater and stepping into the Kyoto evening I looked around the bustling streets, at the people enjoying time together by the river, pedestrians walking by and laughing, the steady never ending traffic of Shijo street, the neon signs, listened to the many languages (mainly Japanese) around me and the dark stones under my feet that had been trod by so many people for hundreds of years. I am so thankful for this, the most brilliant opportunity in my life, to have been able to live in Kyoto for almost a whole year, make friends, learn the language, see so many things, travel everywhere - it's way to huge to be condensed and restricted into a few words or sentences.
It has been the adventure of a lifetime and I am sad to be leaving, but I am also happy to be leaving one part of my life for another.
Life never stops, there is so much to see, do and learn. I will never do even half of what I want to do it in my lifetime even if I live to be a hundred so I know I will never get bored. My eyes glimmer and shine as they look to the future to see what it has in store, its going to be epic. :)
Thank you so much for everything, people of the I-House I have shared so much time with, Japanese people I have met during my stay, Japan - you have been so good to me, and everyone who is reading this.
I will be back one day for certain. :)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
I knew this was going to be difficult.
We have already said goodbye to 3 people now and the next weeks more will go streaming out the door. Somehow I managed to choke back the tears....
...but it got more difficult when I reached the 4th floor again and thought how I would be leaving too, very soon.
All of the kings horses and all of the kings men will not be able to put my heart back together again...
We have already said goodbye to 3 people now and the next weeks more will go streaming out the door. Somehow I managed to choke back the tears....
...but it got more difficult when I reached the 4th floor again and thought how I would be leaving too, very soon.
All of the kings horses and all of the kings men will not be able to put my heart back together again...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Oh what a morning...
Went to a Zazen meditation session this morning at a nearby temple. With me was my culture sensei and 4 other people from my class.
We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and rode our bikes in the rain down to Kitaoji station. From there the temple was only a few minutes away. We were greeted by two monks and an Englishman who is training there.
Leaving our shoes outside, we were invited into one of the halls where we each sat on a small mat with two pillows and listened to the instructions of the head monk.
He told us how to sit, breathe, keep our hands and eyes and finally - to clear our minds. One resounding clang of a bell and two claps of wooden stick later we did our best, keeping our backs straight, eyes half open, breathing slowly and counting to ten on each breath out.
25 minutes later the sharp sound of the two sticks being banged together brought me back into reality as we had a short break to adjust our legs (for me, to actually get the blood running again at all) and stretch. The next 25 minutes the monk said he would be walking around with the big wooden stick they use to hit the monks who they feel aren't focused enough and by all means we should ask him to hit us on the shoulders if we wanted. We had seen a video of this in class and of course we had to try. I bowed as he walked past me and after bowing back he lightly put the stick on my right shoulder and whack! whack! smacked the focus right back into me. After hitting my left shoulder as well we both bowed again and I continued by meditation - this time having a better time at focusing on my body.
Usually when I meditate I try to forget my body and completely closing my eyes I soon drift far away, this was the first time I have tried keeping grounded and centered with my eyes open and focusing on breathing and counting rather than retreating into my mind.
I will definitely start alternating between these two methods from now on.
After the meditation we were invited to drink tea with the monks which of course we accepted and sat for a while chatting about our countries, Buddhism, Christianity etc.
Now I'm back home with another mug full of steaming hot green tea, some nice jazz music I got yesterday, ready to work on the mountain of homework, essays and presentations that await me.
We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and rode our bikes in the rain down to Kitaoji station. From there the temple was only a few minutes away. We were greeted by two monks and an Englishman who is training there.
Leaving our shoes outside, we were invited into one of the halls where we each sat on a small mat with two pillows and listened to the instructions of the head monk.
He told us how to sit, breathe, keep our hands and eyes and finally - to clear our minds. One resounding clang of a bell and two claps of wooden stick later we did our best, keeping our backs straight, eyes half open, breathing slowly and counting to ten on each breath out.
25 minutes later the sharp sound of the two sticks being banged together brought me back into reality as we had a short break to adjust our legs (for me, to actually get the blood running again at all) and stretch. The next 25 minutes the monk said he would be walking around with the big wooden stick they use to hit the monks who they feel aren't focused enough and by all means we should ask him to hit us on the shoulders if we wanted. We had seen a video of this in class and of course we had to try. I bowed as he walked past me and after bowing back he lightly put the stick on my right shoulder and whack! whack! smacked the focus right back into me. After hitting my left shoulder as well we both bowed again and I continued by meditation - this time having a better time at focusing on my body.
Usually when I meditate I try to forget my body and completely closing my eyes I soon drift far away, this was the first time I have tried keeping grounded and centered with my eyes open and focusing on breathing and counting rather than retreating into my mind.
I will definitely start alternating between these two methods from now on.
After the meditation we were invited to drink tea with the monks which of course we accepted and sat for a while chatting about our countries, Buddhism, Christianity etc.
Now I'm back home with another mug full of steaming hot green tea, some nice jazz music I got yesterday, ready to work on the mountain of homework, essays and presentations that await me.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Last Thursday we went down to Kamigamo jinja to see the fireflies. Much like the sakura trees they only live for a few days and as I had never seen a firefly before in my life I hurried down there in the dusk to find them.
When I got to the darker part of the temple, by the bridge over the small stream, I saw something glowing in the hand of a small Japanese child, coming closer I saw he had caught one of the fireflies that by this point had started to glow all around us. Some of us sat down and stared at these fairy-like creatures that glowed in the dark, swooping down at us every now and then, while others tried to catch them in their palm.
One of the most magical nights of Kyoto....
This weekend me, Hanne and Olga went to Emi's house in Okayama, a 3 hour bus ride from Kyoto. She lives with her parents and little brother in the country side, in a huge Japanese house that we all fell in love with. We were greeted by her mother who dropped us off at a cozy jazz bar where we all had very nice drinks and a huge bowl of ice cream. When we were leaving we were informed that we didn't have to pay, Emi knew people who make cakes for the restaurant and that did it.Feeling like V.I.P. we went home to sleep on soft futons on the floor.
The next morning after a breakfast of cakes we drove to the beach 2 hours away, where we found a desert complete with horses and camels. Thrilled, we ran around and played in the sand, ending up wading in the ocean. The view was amazing and the sand felt so nice. After going to another beach we drove back and stopped by at an onsen for 2 hours or so. They had massage baths, a hot pool, outside hot spring, a sauna and a cold bath. After lying around we went back and forth from the sauna to the cold bath until we felt completely detoxed and relaxed. That evening Emi's family had a bbq in the garden and we feasted on all kinds of meat including tongues and intestine, grilled vegetables and onigiri. Soooo delicious!
We had plenty of refreshments as well, Emi's father offered us umeshu, Japanese liqueur, and various other drinks. We had some beers and watched the world cup, where Japan lost to the Netherlands.
The morning after we had to go home even though we would really rather have stayed longer. Emi's mother made crepes, we cut bananas and strawberries, whipped cream, and feasted on this amazing breakfast.
The weekends just keep getting better. :)
When I got to the darker part of the temple, by the bridge over the small stream, I saw something glowing in the hand of a small Japanese child, coming closer I saw he had caught one of the fireflies that by this point had started to glow all around us. Some of us sat down and stared at these fairy-like creatures that glowed in the dark, swooping down at us every now and then, while others tried to catch them in their palm.
One of the most magical nights of Kyoto....
This weekend me, Hanne and Olga went to Emi's house in Okayama, a 3 hour bus ride from Kyoto. She lives with her parents and little brother in the country side, in a huge Japanese house that we all fell in love with. We were greeted by her mother who dropped us off at a cozy jazz bar where we all had very nice drinks and a huge bowl of ice cream. When we were leaving we were informed that we didn't have to pay, Emi knew people who make cakes for the restaurant and that did it.Feeling like V.I.P. we went home to sleep on soft futons on the floor.
The next morning after a breakfast of cakes we drove to the beach 2 hours away, where we found a desert complete with horses and camels. Thrilled, we ran around and played in the sand, ending up wading in the ocean. The view was amazing and the sand felt so nice. After going to another beach we drove back and stopped by at an onsen for 2 hours or so. They had massage baths, a hot pool, outside hot spring, a sauna and a cold bath. After lying around we went back and forth from the sauna to the cold bath until we felt completely detoxed and relaxed. That evening Emi's family had a bbq in the garden and we feasted on all kinds of meat including tongues and intestine, grilled vegetables and onigiri. Soooo delicious!
We had plenty of refreshments as well, Emi's father offered us umeshu, Japanese liqueur, and various other drinks. We had some beers and watched the world cup, where Japan lost to the Netherlands.
The morning after we had to go home even though we would really rather have stayed longer. Emi's mother made crepes, we cut bananas and strawberries, whipped cream, and feasted on this amazing breakfast.
The weekends just keep getting better. :)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A weekend in the life of a ryuugakusei
Procrastinating is a wonderful thing. Among the many things on my to-do list is a presentation and an essay due in two weeks so I could think of nothing else to do but sit down and blog for a while, just to get into the writing gear. So, without further ado, here is the tale of last weekend.
The weekend that just slipped away from my fingers was just so adorably enjoyable that I must scribble down a few words in its honor. The Friday was just your typical school day at Kyoto Sangyo University were I got to speak a lot of Japanese and French, followed by a cozy evening and cup noodles (me being a poor student). Nothing special there, but this is when Saturday came along.
Just about two hours train ride from central Kyoto is where you find Nara, a wonderful city littered with temples and shrines. This happens to be where me and the rest of my religion class were headed in the first rays of Sunday morning.
From 11 a.m. we trotted along in the heat that I have missed so sorely, taking in the beauty and endless wonders of the city's temples. The main one we visited was Horyuji temple, built sometime in the 7th century. It consists of some of the oldest buildings in Japan, a place where the custom is rather to take the temples apart every now and then and rebuild them for various reasons I won't get into now. Suffice it to say there aren't too many old temples in their original condition lying around. For these reasons they were all the more breathtaking, and the national treasures they keep seemed endless, each one more magnificent.
We walked around with our teacher who is a bottomless well of information regarding Japanese religion and she showered our little heads with little known facts about everything we saw. After she left us alone we saw some more temples and went to the deer park, where wild deer roam freely among the inhabitants of the city. You can pet them, give them cookies and just generally hang around. Good place to make new friends. Magnificent creatures, really....
Before our sensei left she mentioned that on Sunday the marathon monks of Mt. Hiei (I think I have blogged about them before) would be finishing their 1000 day challenge and walking through Kyoto, holding a ceremony at a small shrine in Gion. Of course I decided to stop by.
So it was that me and Karina, from Mexico, woke up early on Sunday and took the train to Gion, completely unaware of the splendor the day had in store for us.
Walking out of the subway station in Gion, my favorite part of town, we followed a group of white-clad people carrying a drum to a crowd of people at that small shrine. We couldn't see what was going on so we decided on walking around the crowd a bit to our left and ran right into our sensei who again, told us everything that was going on. I noticed a gap in the crowd right in front of me - this was where the monks stormed out of the small tea house next to us, followed by two maiko and some followers/supporters and walked over to the shrine - about two meters to our right - and started to rub their rosaries and chant. At this point we had clear view of every single detail that was happening.
I was listening intently to their chanting when all of a sudden the whole crowd joined in, so I got goosebumps all over. It was such a magical moment, and the energy in the air so strong, it was a remarkable thing to be a part of.
A few minutes later they finished the chanting and walked to the river a few meters away as a few of the white-clad men started scooping water and goldfish from a big tank in front of the altar into wooden buckets. The spectators then carried the fish to the river in a single file and poured the fish in, to freedom! Me and Karina got to take our turn, we each got three fish. People were talking loudly, taking pictures of the maiko, laughing, carrying the buckets back and forth, creating such a nice atmosphere.
At this point we thought it couldn't get any better but our sensei suddenly appeared behind us and said 'oh, and if you want to get blessed just get in line over there'. I didn't even stop to think, grabbed Karina's hand and we ran over to where the people were already kneeling in a long line, waiting for the monks to tap their heads with their prayer beads.
We kneeled, put our hands in a prayer position and lowered our heads as the three monks walked by, tapped our heads and said what I'm guessing was a short mantra. I had seen this on the photos our teacher had shown to us before in class, and in videos.... but I never thought I would ever get to be so lucky as to become a part of it. I thanked my lucky stars as I stood back up.
So, alright. Seeing the ritual up close and personal, participating and even getting blessed by a Buddhist monk... surely it's all downhill from here. The procession went on to a big Buddhist temple in the northern part of the city, Kitanotenmangu, where another ritual was to be held two hours later. In the meantime we went to explore the temples a bit further inside Gion, further up to the mountains. We came to a temple I for some reason hadn't seen before. Turns out there was a Shinto funeral in procession, it was very striking to the the people working at the temple all in black, usually they wear white robes. The door to where the ceremony was being held was slid open slightly so we sat on a bench outside for some time, listening to the hypnotizing chanting. Another memory I wont soon forget. When it was over we marched on to the next temple, mentioned in the famous 'Heike monogatari'. It was supposed to be 500 yen to enter but we got in for free... because it was just one of those days. :P
This temple was one of the nicest one I have visited here in Kyoto, there was a waterfall that fell in a narrow stream into a bucket, producing a most pleasing sound. In the face of the rock one could make out the mossy outlines of various figures carved into the stone. We even found a museum randomly standing in the middle of the forested temple grounds, with some very nice Buddhist statues. We were on our way further up into the mountains (with a bell to scare away any approaching monkeys, although I doubt that would have worked...) when we heard music in the distance. It sounded like a soundtrack to a Steven Spielberg movie... and not at all Japanese, so of course we ran to the direction of the sound.
Turns out the Kyoto symphony was having a concert at an open stadium nearby, free of charge! I had read about this but thought it would be very expensive so I had pushed it our of my mind.
We sat down close to the stage and deeply enjoyed songs like 'The typewriter', 'The blue Danube waltz' and many more. We found the conductor to be the happiest man in all of Kyoto, he was such a pleasure to watch! Jumping up and down, waving his hands, giving some of the members thumbs up and smiling incessantly. Between songs he and a woman announcer joked around and he would laugh so heartily. :)
After this, and a short ice cream break (mmm macha ice cream!), we were half-expecting a pot of gold to fall from the skies in front of us.
We decided to try to catch the ceremony at Kitanotenmangu and hopped on a bus (that was conveniently just arriving as we ran to the stop, like all the other buses and trains that day...) but we were a bit to late. Oh well, not that it mattered. We explored the temple a bit and headed back home. On the way we found ourselves in front of Coco Ichibanya, my all time favorite curry restaurant (at this point I wasn't even surprised anymore) and had some amazing Japanese curry. A suitable ending to a remarkable weekend in Japan.
Now lets hope they only get better before I have to go home....
The weekend that just slipped away from my fingers was just so adorably enjoyable that I must scribble down a few words in its honor. The Friday was just your typical school day at Kyoto Sangyo University were I got to speak a lot of Japanese and French, followed by a cozy evening and cup noodles (me being a poor student). Nothing special there, but this is when Saturday came along.
Just about two hours train ride from central Kyoto is where you find Nara, a wonderful city littered with temples and shrines. This happens to be where me and the rest of my religion class were headed in the first rays of Sunday morning.
From 11 a.m. we trotted along in the heat that I have missed so sorely, taking in the beauty and endless wonders of the city's temples. The main one we visited was Horyuji temple, built sometime in the 7th century. It consists of some of the oldest buildings in Japan, a place where the custom is rather to take the temples apart every now and then and rebuild them for various reasons I won't get into now. Suffice it to say there aren't too many old temples in their original condition lying around. For these reasons they were all the more breathtaking, and the national treasures they keep seemed endless, each one more magnificent.
We walked around with our teacher who is a bottomless well of information regarding Japanese religion and she showered our little heads with little known facts about everything we saw. After she left us alone we saw some more temples and went to the deer park, where wild deer roam freely among the inhabitants of the city. You can pet them, give them cookies and just generally hang around. Good place to make new friends. Magnificent creatures, really....
Before our sensei left she mentioned that on Sunday the marathon monks of Mt. Hiei (I think I have blogged about them before) would be finishing their 1000 day challenge and walking through Kyoto, holding a ceremony at a small shrine in Gion. Of course I decided to stop by.
So it was that me and Karina, from Mexico, woke up early on Sunday and took the train to Gion, completely unaware of the splendor the day had in store for us.
Walking out of the subway station in Gion, my favorite part of town, we followed a group of white-clad people carrying a drum to a crowd of people at that small shrine. We couldn't see what was going on so we decided on walking around the crowd a bit to our left and ran right into our sensei who again, told us everything that was going on. I noticed a gap in the crowd right in front of me - this was where the monks stormed out of the small tea house next to us, followed by two maiko and some followers/supporters and walked over to the shrine - about two meters to our right - and started to rub their rosaries and chant. At this point we had clear view of every single detail that was happening.
I was listening intently to their chanting when all of a sudden the whole crowd joined in, so I got goosebumps all over. It was such a magical moment, and the energy in the air so strong, it was a remarkable thing to be a part of.
A few minutes later they finished the chanting and walked to the river a few meters away as a few of the white-clad men started scooping water and goldfish from a big tank in front of the altar into wooden buckets. The spectators then carried the fish to the river in a single file and poured the fish in, to freedom! Me and Karina got to take our turn, we each got three fish. People were talking loudly, taking pictures of the maiko, laughing, carrying the buckets back and forth, creating such a nice atmosphere.
At this point we thought it couldn't get any better but our sensei suddenly appeared behind us and said 'oh, and if you want to get blessed just get in line over there'. I didn't even stop to think, grabbed Karina's hand and we ran over to where the people were already kneeling in a long line, waiting for the monks to tap their heads with their prayer beads.
We kneeled, put our hands in a prayer position and lowered our heads as the three monks walked by, tapped our heads and said what I'm guessing was a short mantra. I had seen this on the photos our teacher had shown to us before in class, and in videos.... but I never thought I would ever get to be so lucky as to become a part of it. I thanked my lucky stars as I stood back up.
So, alright. Seeing the ritual up close and personal, participating and even getting blessed by a Buddhist monk... surely it's all downhill from here. The procession went on to a big Buddhist temple in the northern part of the city, Kitanotenmangu, where another ritual was to be held two hours later. In the meantime we went to explore the temples a bit further inside Gion, further up to the mountains. We came to a temple I for some reason hadn't seen before. Turns out there was a Shinto funeral in procession, it was very striking to the the people working at the temple all in black, usually they wear white robes. The door to where the ceremony was being held was slid open slightly so we sat on a bench outside for some time, listening to the hypnotizing chanting. Another memory I wont soon forget. When it was over we marched on to the next temple, mentioned in the famous 'Heike monogatari'. It was supposed to be 500 yen to enter but we got in for free... because it was just one of those days. :P
This temple was one of the nicest one I have visited here in Kyoto, there was a waterfall that fell in a narrow stream into a bucket, producing a most pleasing sound. In the face of the rock one could make out the mossy outlines of various figures carved into the stone. We even found a museum randomly standing in the middle of the forested temple grounds, with some very nice Buddhist statues. We were on our way further up into the mountains (with a bell to scare away any approaching monkeys, although I doubt that would have worked...) when we heard music in the distance. It sounded like a soundtrack to a Steven Spielberg movie... and not at all Japanese, so of course we ran to the direction of the sound.
Turns out the Kyoto symphony was having a concert at an open stadium nearby, free of charge! I had read about this but thought it would be very expensive so I had pushed it our of my mind.
We sat down close to the stage and deeply enjoyed songs like 'The typewriter', 'The blue Danube waltz' and many more. We found the conductor to be the happiest man in all of Kyoto, he was such a pleasure to watch! Jumping up and down, waving his hands, giving some of the members thumbs up and smiling incessantly. Between songs he and a woman announcer joked around and he would laugh so heartily. :)
After this, and a short ice cream break (mmm macha ice cream!), we were half-expecting a pot of gold to fall from the skies in front of us.
We decided to try to catch the ceremony at Kitanotenmangu and hopped on a bus (that was conveniently just arriving as we ran to the stop, like all the other buses and trains that day...) but we were a bit to late. Oh well, not that it mattered. We explored the temple a bit and headed back home. On the way we found ourselves in front of Coco Ichibanya, my all time favorite curry restaurant (at this point I wasn't even surprised anymore) and had some amazing Japanese curry. A suitable ending to a remarkable weekend in Japan.
Now lets hope they only get better before I have to go home....
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Don't the photo-ops just come rolling by once your camera dies...
Last week my camera got this amazing idea all own its sweet little own that perhaps I would like my pictures a bit more ghostly with the colors all run together. I had to disagree... this does nothing for my photo subjects so if I want to keep snapping happily away the rest of my time here I might have to buy a new one soon.
Ever since, I have been experiencing the hard life without a camera on my travels around Kyoto City.
Yesterday we went to Aoi Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in Kyoto. We were situated at the perfect spot so we could see the whole procession of courtly men and women walking into Kamigamo shrine to perform rituals. There were a lot of horses present as Kamigamo shrine is connected with those animals in particular, huge wagons I have never seen before, great costumes and so on... I silently cursed my camera as I took mental pictures of the whole thing. Afterward we went on a field trip with my culture seinsei to a nearby shrine to see the beautiful Iris flowers that were in bloom and then we headed back to see the horses race. As we ate the macha chocolate and ice cream that sensei treated us to we watched one of the horses forgetting to turn before it came to the main shrine and gallop full speed through the gate, receiving a big 'ooooooohhh!!' from the crowd.
On the way back of course the scenario was more beautiful than I have ever seen, a farmer was burning stacks of hay which sent thick piles of smoke into the air, in front of a backdrop of the mountains with the setting sun turning the sky orange and yellow. We were not the only ones who stopped and stared.
Today I slept in as I was still tired after Friday's clubbing in Osaka. I took the trains downtown and finally found presents for everybody back home, will be sending a package tomorrow if possible.
I came across the most amazing temple I have seen in Kyoto. I housed a stone that was supposed to be in the dead center of Kyoto, hundreds of pigeons, lots of small statues and shrines. I sat down for a while and read with the sun shining on my back..... these are my favorite moments out here, they make me never want to go home again...
I took some more turns guided by my insight and stumbled across the Kyoto museum. Upon entering I heard someone playing the piano beautifully and turned to find the source. It happened to be a six or seven year old girl at what seemed to be a concert for musical students. I stopped and listened for about half an hour, after playing she sang some nice Japanese songs and then other kids took the stage, a girl playing the cello, followed by a girl and a boy playing the violin. I was completely enthralled by these young musicians but finally tore myself away and entered the museum.
There I was greeted by a woman who served as a museum volunteer and told me if I had any questions I should ask her. She then asked me where I was from and when I told her 'Iceland', she said she had been there 10 years ago. We spent the next hour or so talking and she showed me around the room, telling be about the history of Japan.
After this I found the rest of the gifts I needed and hurried on home.
Now to get ready for a relaxing week after a hectic weekend... :P
Last week my camera got this amazing idea all own its sweet little own that perhaps I would like my pictures a bit more ghostly with the colors all run together. I had to disagree... this does nothing for my photo subjects so if I want to keep snapping happily away the rest of my time here I might have to buy a new one soon.
Ever since, I have been experiencing the hard life without a camera on my travels around Kyoto City.
Yesterday we went to Aoi Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in Kyoto. We were situated at the perfect spot so we could see the whole procession of courtly men and women walking into Kamigamo shrine to perform rituals. There were a lot of horses present as Kamigamo shrine is connected with those animals in particular, huge wagons I have never seen before, great costumes and so on... I silently cursed my camera as I took mental pictures of the whole thing. Afterward we went on a field trip with my culture seinsei to a nearby shrine to see the beautiful Iris flowers that were in bloom and then we headed back to see the horses race. As we ate the macha chocolate and ice cream that sensei treated us to we watched one of the horses forgetting to turn before it came to the main shrine and gallop full speed through the gate, receiving a big 'ooooooohhh!!' from the crowd.
On the way back of course the scenario was more beautiful than I have ever seen, a farmer was burning stacks of hay which sent thick piles of smoke into the air, in front of a backdrop of the mountains with the setting sun turning the sky orange and yellow. We were not the only ones who stopped and stared.
Today I slept in as I was still tired after Friday's clubbing in Osaka. I took the trains downtown and finally found presents for everybody back home, will be sending a package tomorrow if possible.
I came across the most amazing temple I have seen in Kyoto. I housed a stone that was supposed to be in the dead center of Kyoto, hundreds of pigeons, lots of small statues and shrines. I sat down for a while and read with the sun shining on my back..... these are my favorite moments out here, they make me never want to go home again...
I took some more turns guided by my insight and stumbled across the Kyoto museum. Upon entering I heard someone playing the piano beautifully and turned to find the source. It happened to be a six or seven year old girl at what seemed to be a concert for musical students. I stopped and listened for about half an hour, after playing she sang some nice Japanese songs and then other kids took the stage, a girl playing the cello, followed by a girl and a boy playing the violin. I was completely enthralled by these young musicians but finally tore myself away and entered the museum.
There I was greeted by a woman who served as a museum volunteer and told me if I had any questions I should ask her. She then asked me where I was from and when I told her 'Iceland', she said she had been there 10 years ago. We spent the next hour or so talking and she showed me around the room, telling be about the history of Japan.
After this I found the rest of the gifts I needed and hurried on home.
Now to get ready for a relaxing week after a hectic weekend... :P
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The final segment
Arriving at Siem Riep we soon hopped out of our small tuk tuk and walked the dusty, smelly streets to find a place to stay for the night. Not heeding the call of the driver who tried to sell us the 'best hostel in town', we chose a small alleyway and followed the few foreigners we saw to one of the many hostels in the area. It was extremely rustic, the rooms had bamboo walls, one or two beds, a bamboo window latch and mosquito nets. But it would be more than enough. And cost next to nothing.
We had dinner at the top floor and lounged around, listening to booming reggae music, watching people chat nearby or play pool. Exhausted, we soon went to bed.
Woke up at 6 a.m. to see the sunrise and beat the crowds to the famous temples in Siem Riep's backyard. After some delicious breakfast we rented some bikes and went to explore the day. It turned out to be quite legendary, I think I will never forget the excitement and happiness of cycling around the huge temple grounds amidst the lush forested surroundings. On the way we saw a herd of elephants that they were renting out for people to ride, which just added to the foreign, rustic feel of the whole thing.
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm (the one famously being choked by a large tree) were the highlights of the trip, I still can't fully believe that I was actually there in person.
Along the way Svanni had a flat tire so we were forced to take a slower pace but luckily we met this young girl who offered Svanni to go with her father and have it fixed while me and Jessica had some delicious noodles at their 'restaurant'. Everybody wins.
After cycling back into the city me and Jessica went and had a blind massage (such an experience), which we enjoyed thoroughly. Meanwhile Svanni went online and tried to get us tickets back home which was not going so well, the prices keep going up and they won't accept our booking. Oh well, life in Cambodia is good. Had dinner and a mojito so I had no worries or thoughts of home.
On the 27th we took a bus to the capital, Phnom Penh. I think it was a local bus so it didn't leave until it was filled with people. This process took around an hour and a half. Four hours later or so we were walking around the busy streets of the capital, yet again looking for a place to stay for the night. After much looking around and bargaining we settled on the Drunken Frog. It was set on a small river with amazing view that we were told would disappear soon when the Koreans would come and build hotels by the bank. At this point I had come to love hostel food so we had some dinner, beers and chatted with Algae, one of the staff, a young Cambodian man who told us about the country's drug problem, how no one can talk about the government (I saw he got a bit nervous touching on the subject) and his history of drinking and fighting at the local bars, apparently a popular pastime here.
The next day we visited the killing fields and S-21. A must for anyone visiting the country, but a horrible experience nonetheless. How the Khmer Rouge wiped out one third of the whole population, tortured the political prisoners of S-21 ... there are no words for how horrible and bloody Cambodia's history really is. I recommend reading up on it though.
The rest of the day we spent at a russian market, tuk tuk-ing around the city, eating more super cheap and heavenly food and of course looking for flight tickets back to Japan. Still no luck. During the evening we explored our neighborhood, met some local kids at a colorful fountain, locals eating in the streets, dimly lit dusty streets, I fell in love with the city. After the day's events I could not see the people in the same light, there was not a single person that was left unharmed by the turmoil and war that had swept over the country just a few decades ago.
On the morning of the 29th we tried for a few hours to get tickets but by this time we couldn't find the cheap flights anymore and still Svanni's credit card was not accepted. I had failed to put more money on mine so I was no help. Well, what to do in times of trouble? That's right! Hit the beach!
Our next destination was Sihanoukville with it's many beaches and resorts. Our tuk tuk driver gave us some trouble concerning prices etc. but in the end we made up and shook hands. It was night time by the time we got there so we sat down in the light of the full moon and indulged in some local curry and lassis. There were a lot of people celebrating the night by the ocean, dancing, eating, laughing, talking. It was by far one of the best nights of the trip.
We found a hostel on the beach (where I saw my first rat ever, ugh), and got an amazing room that was more like an apartment, with a bathroom, kitchen, a large bed and two futons on the floor. Not to mention a spectacular view of the ocean. Ahhh this is the life!
After catching some sleep we hit the beach! Swam in the ocean, sunbathed, ate some more, drank some lassis and I got my feet stringed (hair removed) by one of the women offering various services to the guests on the beach. I had refused the first couple of ones and then I thought why not, let's try it. This angered the first woman who had asked me who had now come back and starting arguing with me, saying I betrayed her and should let her do something else for me. When she offered to string my arms I told her 'sure, come back and do it tomorrow'. We left the next day.
In the chairs next to us were two girls in their 20's enjoying the sun. At one point I looked over and I saw how one of them was paying a girl of maybe 5 or 6 to string her legs. She lay there while this small thing huddled over her legs and removed the hairs as best as she could. I could do nothing but stare in disbelief that someone would encourage this and spent the rest of the day giving the two of them angry glances. Some people....
After that day of luxury our trip had finally come to and end. We said our goodbyes to Jessica and wished her luck on her travels, exchanged information and went our separate ways. Me and Svanni took the bus all the way back to Bangkok, which took most of the day. And this is where I stopped writing in my journal. We finally found tickets back to Japan, the day before leaving, went to the market one last time, took some pictures with the wonderful staff of our hostel - one of the best ones, highly recommended!, and took a taxi to the airport. I was terribly sad to be leaving but luckily the plain was taking us back to Japan, so the adventure hasn't ended yet.
A million points to whomever managed to read the whole thing! I will try to continue to dazzle you with stories from Japan whenever I can.
Congratulations to everyone back home who just finished their exams, go party, have fun, you deserve it! :P
We had dinner at the top floor and lounged around, listening to booming reggae music, watching people chat nearby or play pool. Exhausted, we soon went to bed.
Woke up at 6 a.m. to see the sunrise and beat the crowds to the famous temples in Siem Riep's backyard. After some delicious breakfast we rented some bikes and went to explore the day. It turned out to be quite legendary, I think I will never forget the excitement and happiness of cycling around the huge temple grounds amidst the lush forested surroundings. On the way we saw a herd of elephants that they were renting out for people to ride, which just added to the foreign, rustic feel of the whole thing.
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm (the one famously being choked by a large tree) were the highlights of the trip, I still can't fully believe that I was actually there in person.
Along the way Svanni had a flat tire so we were forced to take a slower pace but luckily we met this young girl who offered Svanni to go with her father and have it fixed while me and Jessica had some delicious noodles at their 'restaurant'. Everybody wins.
After cycling back into the city me and Jessica went and had a blind massage (such an experience), which we enjoyed thoroughly. Meanwhile Svanni went online and tried to get us tickets back home which was not going so well, the prices keep going up and they won't accept our booking. Oh well, life in Cambodia is good. Had dinner and a mojito so I had no worries or thoughts of home.
On the 27th we took a bus to the capital, Phnom Penh. I think it was a local bus so it didn't leave until it was filled with people. This process took around an hour and a half. Four hours later or so we were walking around the busy streets of the capital, yet again looking for a place to stay for the night. After much looking around and bargaining we settled on the Drunken Frog. It was set on a small river with amazing view that we were told would disappear soon when the Koreans would come and build hotels by the bank. At this point I had come to love hostel food so we had some dinner, beers and chatted with Algae, one of the staff, a young Cambodian man who told us about the country's drug problem, how no one can talk about the government (I saw he got a bit nervous touching on the subject) and his history of drinking and fighting at the local bars, apparently a popular pastime here.
The next day we visited the killing fields and S-21. A must for anyone visiting the country, but a horrible experience nonetheless. How the Khmer Rouge wiped out one third of the whole population, tortured the political prisoners of S-21 ... there are no words for how horrible and bloody Cambodia's history really is. I recommend reading up on it though.
The rest of the day we spent at a russian market, tuk tuk-ing around the city, eating more super cheap and heavenly food and of course looking for flight tickets back to Japan. Still no luck. During the evening we explored our neighborhood, met some local kids at a colorful fountain, locals eating in the streets, dimly lit dusty streets, I fell in love with the city. After the day's events I could not see the people in the same light, there was not a single person that was left unharmed by the turmoil and war that had swept over the country just a few decades ago.
On the morning of the 29th we tried for a few hours to get tickets but by this time we couldn't find the cheap flights anymore and still Svanni's credit card was not accepted. I had failed to put more money on mine so I was no help. Well, what to do in times of trouble? That's right! Hit the beach!
Our next destination was Sihanoukville with it's many beaches and resorts. Our tuk tuk driver gave us some trouble concerning prices etc. but in the end we made up and shook hands. It was night time by the time we got there so we sat down in the light of the full moon and indulged in some local curry and lassis. There were a lot of people celebrating the night by the ocean, dancing, eating, laughing, talking. It was by far one of the best nights of the trip.
We found a hostel on the beach (where I saw my first rat ever, ugh), and got an amazing room that was more like an apartment, with a bathroom, kitchen, a large bed and two futons on the floor. Not to mention a spectacular view of the ocean. Ahhh this is the life!
After catching some sleep we hit the beach! Swam in the ocean, sunbathed, ate some more, drank some lassis and I got my feet stringed (hair removed) by one of the women offering various services to the guests on the beach. I had refused the first couple of ones and then I thought why not, let's try it. This angered the first woman who had asked me who had now come back and starting arguing with me, saying I betrayed her and should let her do something else for me. When she offered to string my arms I told her 'sure, come back and do it tomorrow'. We left the next day.
In the chairs next to us were two girls in their 20's enjoying the sun. At one point I looked over and I saw how one of them was paying a girl of maybe 5 or 6 to string her legs. She lay there while this small thing huddled over her legs and removed the hairs as best as she could. I could do nothing but stare in disbelief that someone would encourage this and spent the rest of the day giving the two of them angry glances. Some people....
After that day of luxury our trip had finally come to and end. We said our goodbyes to Jessica and wished her luck on her travels, exchanged information and went our separate ways. Me and Svanni took the bus all the way back to Bangkok, which took most of the day. And this is where I stopped writing in my journal. We finally found tickets back to Japan, the day before leaving, went to the market one last time, took some pictures with the wonderful staff of our hostel - one of the best ones, highly recommended!, and took a taxi to the airport. I was terribly sad to be leaving but luckily the plain was taking us back to Japan, so the adventure hasn't ended yet.
A million points to whomever managed to read the whole thing! I will try to continue to dazzle you with stories from Japan whenever I can.
Congratulations to everyone back home who just finished their exams, go party, have fun, you deserve it! :P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)