Getting to Laos

Today, we are starting our way to Luang Prabang in Laos.

Got up early, said goodbye to our lovely Chiang Mai GH host (I was really sad) and started the long drive to Chiang Khong at the northern border of Thailand. We went in a minibus and met some really nice people along the way. Got to Chiang Khong late night and stayed in a really manky guesthouse there - yuck and barf! - but we went out for a few drinks with the people we've met, which was good fun.

The next day, Phil realised that he lost his wallet, so we spent the morning trying to find it and then cancelling the cards - Thank God all in time! After this excitement, we were ready to get on our boat which would take us from Chiang Khong all the way to Laos on the Mekong River - I was really looking forward to the trip!!! It takes two days on some pretty seriously hard wooden benches to get there, but it all adds to the fun.

Day 1 on the boat was spent playing cards and getting drunk - they were selling beer on the boat and marihuana. Needless to say, it was a very chilled out journey for some! We were hanging out with the guys from our bus up, Tom and Matt and also two girls from Belgium, Ines and Wendy. Really good fun! Stopped at a place called Pak Beng for the night and that's where the trouble started.

I really didn't feel well... the loo was my best friend... how am I gonna get on that boat tomorrow? It does have a loo, but it's basically a bowl with a hole... not good. Luckily Phil was fine, so he looked after me, while I drugged myself up on loperamide and antibiotics. Yummy.

Day 2 on the boat didn't start off too well - we were in a new boat that was very small and overloaded with us, so we were really deep in the water. While trying to pull out, we rammed another boat and made a hole into it. It was funny though...

Survived and then finally got to Luang Prabang which is a gem. I love Laos! Our guesthouse is super sweet and cheap, run by Mama and Papa and we are paying 2.50 pound per night for a room with a private hot shower, free tea and coffee and bananas! What more do you want or need?

Our group from the boat is staying there together, so plenty of fun to be had!

The Golden Triangle

What a day... we got up early and began our journey up to the Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet on the Mekong River. It was a long trip - about six hours, but once we got there, it was really interesting to take a peek into Myanmar and see the Mekong. Such an amazing river...

On the way, we stopped at a few tribal villages and although they would have been really interesting, there are always some really dumb tourists about and more often than not, you get coerced into buying some tat. Anyway, it's amazing to see the villages, just because the living conditions are so basic, but the people seem content and the families stick together, forming a tight community. We saw the Hmong and Karen tribes mainly. Overall though, I usually felt like I was intruding though they of course expected us. I thought the Hmong people in particular were very beautiful and their features were very Chinese influenced. Apparently they came from Tibet originally, crossing the mountains.

The whole area there is very hilly and the roads were rough. It was alright though we did speed along the roads at an amazing pace.

We also managed to visit a Laos market by the Golden Triangle and visited a temple. We were crossing the Mekong by speedboat, which was scary - basically, you are in a nutshell speeding along at about 80 miles an hour, wearing a piece of foam, that's a life jacket... also, you are being deafened by the engine! It was very exciting though!

I'm ready for tomorrow, when we leave Chiang Mai and head over to Laos.

The Trek

Hooray - we went on a trek in the area surrounding Chiang Mai and it was lovely. We set off early in the morning and got bundled into a saewngthaew which is basically a little truck that someone stuck two benches on and put a little roof over. This is your standard form of transport here and eight of us went for about 2 hours on a dirt road in that. By the time we had arrived, we were quite stiff, but ready for some action!

First, we went on a little elephant ride which was really cool. They are working elephants and after clambering on them via a bamboo platform, clutching big bunches of bananas for bribery (or fuel), we set off at a very comfortable pace. Very comfortable. Occasionally, our elephant would stick its trunk in the air, demand a banana and then continue to walk along the jungle path. If it didn't get one, it would blow a bit of air about and then keep walking anyway. Our elephant loves bananas, we kept getting the trunk and one time, the snout was so wet, when she raised it, a big blob of elephant spit hit me right between the mouth and the nose. I wasn't too impressed. The elephant didn't really care...

We also got to sit on its neck and ride like that, so we both did that for a while too, but the skin is so rough and they have lots of hair on their heads, it got a bit itchy after a while. Phil was on it for a while but I gave up after about 10 minutes, it was too tiring and scratching, but still really cool! After we were done, we fed her lots of bananas again to say thanks, so all the other elephants got jealous and wanted some too, so we got a bit mobbed. Slightly scary, but really amazing still!

We then went on a bit of a walk through the forest, which was really good. It wasn't too hard, but the ground was very rough and we were clambering over lots of stones and sticks and balancing over rivers on thin bamboo sticks and stuff. At the end though, we were rewarded with arriving at this really pretty waterfall, where we had a nice swim! It was so cold!!!!!

After some more walking, it was time for lunch and then we went white water rafting. WOW! It was really cool - our guide scared us all sh*tless with his tales of overturning and getting your feet caught in the river and drowning in rapids... the river was really fast and it looked scary! But once we got going, it was so cool!!! I was in the boat with Phil and Jens and his wife Daisy. Daisy and me let the guys go in the very front, then it was us and then at the back our Captain, Vong. He was pretty cool himself, but we did have trouble to hear what commands he was shouting at us, coz it was so noisy with the rapids. The boys got hit several times in the face by some big big waves, while Daisy and me were cowering behind them... heheheh ... but we both paddled big time! The boys did their bit too and we got thrown about quite a few times - one rapid knocked me off completely and luckily I fell into the boat not out of it but it took me ages to get back up on my seat - it's really full on.

We also managed to get ourselves completely stranded onto a rock in the middle of the river and we were throwing ourselves about to dislodge which we eventually managed, but then we ended up going down backwards! I was so scared!!

When we got ready for our bamboo rafting session, we were all a bit exhausted... the bamboo rafts are quite cool, it's basically a really simple raft and it usually floats. Well, for some reason, everyone managed to stand on the same raft and we sank - how dumb was that? Anyway, after we managed to sort ourselves out, we had a really nice float down the river until I noticed the biggest spider sitting on my leg. I tried not to scream! Managed to wash it off and told Phil, who saw it floating by and then got convinced it had gotten down his pants. heheheh... all fine though and we went on when all of a sudden we heard the biggest scream and saw Jens jumping up and down flailing his arms - the spider had gone to him and was trying to climb up his leg! So funny!

Then, this random fisherman joined us on the raft and floated down with us, it was funny and he was quite entertaining telling us random things, when I noticed that there was a cockroach trying to climb up his leg - he warned the boys that the cockroach would bite their 'eggs and bananas' if it got up their legs and then we all spent time trying to kill it which is surprisingly difficult in water. Then the same spider tried to make another appearance - honestly, I didn't know what else would try and join us on the raft! The guy who was kind of punting us along was a bit of a comedian and would now and again tilt the raft a bit for a joke, which was fine until he managed to completely turn us over! We all fell into the river and the raft was above my head and seriously - I don't know what else was in that water so I made sure I hopped back on that raft asap! We were so drenched...

All in all a really good day! We had tons of fun and got back so tired but I would do it again in a flash -

Tomorrow, we're off to the Golden Triangle!

Chiang Mai

It's now our fourth day in Chiang Mai and we really like it here. It's a nice town and the people are friendly. There is an amazing array of markets to explore and lots of yummy food to eat, too!

We signed up for a cooking course and it was really good! We drove out to the country side, to this famous chef's house where we spent the day learning about six different dishes. The teachers were really good and we made lots of different things that all came out quite yummy! We got to eat everything we cooked and lots of people told us that they did this before and got sick because they just overate!

What a great day though! We took part in a tour of the local markets first and learned about Thai ingredients and then put it all to practice later. We made Chicken in a Coconut Broth, Red curry with fish, papaya salad, steamed banana cake, mushroom stir fry and something else... I don't remember now. Anyway, it was really good fun!

We also explored Chiang Mai's temples or wat's and visited all the markets. Went for a Thai massage with Phil and I'm still aching from it. Phil's feet were apparently very tense so quite painful when the guy massaged them! It was still good though.

Tomorrow, we will go on a trek in the area called Chiang Dao and will also have a go at whitewater rafting and bamboo rafting, as well as visiting some elephants and a waterfall. It is meant to be beautiful, so we are excited! The next day, we will make our way to the Golden Triangle and then we will make our way into Lao by slowboat! It will take us about two days to get there, which will be good fun I think!

We'll be leaving Thailand quite soon, but there is so much to see and we will return here before going to Cambodia and we also want to go to the south of Thailand, too so we can spend some time on the islands there. Anyway, it's all good fun!

Back to Ayutthaya

After our little trip to Kanchanaburi, we stayed in Ayutthaya for a couple of days. Not really by choice, but because all the transport going up to Chiang Mai was completely full!

There's a big flower expo going on there in honour of the king, so lots of Thai people are also going to Chiang Mai, in addition to the normal hordes of tourists. We ended up deciding to go by VIP Bus - you like the sound of that? - and travel overnight, so we would arrive in Chiang Mai in the morning of the next day.

The bus looked quite good, we were assured it had air-con, a loo and long seats, perfect for foreigners... what we didn't know was that the bus was coming from Bangkok, so it would already be full by the time it got to us...

Anyway, we were chuffed we got on it, as we had heard that the previous day, they had to throw people off because of overbooking. This also meant that we got stuck with the worst seats on the bus. Phil and I got to sit together which was really good! But my seat was broken, so the seat bit would slide forward and backward with every movement of the bus. Also the loo was broken and we sat on top of it which meant there was a massive bump and we had even less legroom than everyone else. I was pleased to be so short, but I still spent most of the time in a kind of foetal curl.

Oh yeah, we stayed like that for about 11 hours. I tell you, by the time we got to Chiang Mai, the bus was filled with zombies. Because the loo was broken, we had a couple of breaks which was good. But really it was fantastic, because we only had one driver and everytime we took at break he went and had a nap. I was very happy he was having naps, because this meant he wasn't going to fall asleep while driving through some windy roads in the mountains!

Once in Chiang Mai, we got ferried to a guest house, where we sat through a spiel of trying to get as many people as possible to a)stay in that guest house and b)sign up for a three day trek in the jungle. By that point lots of people just gave up and signed whatever was put in front of them! We were tempted too, all I wanted was to go to sleep - but thank God, we managed to escape.

We set off to find our room, but once there, we found out the place was full. But instead, we found this lovely little place in a traditional teak house run by this little chinese looking man. So lucky! We have our own bathroom and it's all clean and the room is big and though it's just a mattress on the floor - hey, what more do you need? I went to sleep straight away!

Kanchanaburiburiburi

Much happier now! We left Ayutthaya and went for a quick diversion to lovely Kanchanaburi. We went by bus and it took us about 5 hours, but they were quite entertaining. We took one in the morning to Suphanburi for 1.5 hours and then had to change into another bus for the rest of the journey. When we were changing buses, we had the Thai conductor lady on our bus screaming at the conductor guy on our next bus, so he came running along, grabbed my bag and jogged off with it.

Phil shouldered his and followed him and I almost got lost trying to follow them both. Fortunately, Phil is quite tall for Thailand and I could pick him out in the crowd! :o)

Our guesthouse was really cute too and once we had rested, we booked ourselves on a little tour for the next day to the Erawan National Park and the Bridge over the River Kwai and the Death Railway plus a cave. It was a really good day. We got thrown in with a couple of other people and the seven of us got on well and fun.

We went to the Erawan Falls, which are beautiful! Seven tiers of waterfall with a big one at the top in a national park - really nice. We went and jumped in at several stages and hiked all the way to the top, which was a bit treacherous. Phil then climbed up some more rocks and stood directly under the waterfall - he said it felt like hailstones on his head!

There were also lots of fish in the river who nibbled you when you were swimming. It was funny at first when the little ones did it, but then when the adult fish were coming up, it felt more like they were taking a chunk of meat out with each bite! Cue lots of people flailing and screaming in the water - very funny!

After a spot of lunch, we went on to the Death Railway, which is still in use for public trains and saw the Kraeso Cave which used to serve as storage, hospital and various other things during the war. They have now put a big buddha statue in it for good luck. It was scary walking on the tracks, along the mountain side with the river next to you though it was beautiful. Kind of like in the movie "Stand By Me". The bridge was cool too and surrounded by a little market selling all sorts of junk. By the time we got back to our place, we were pretty tired!

Met up with everyone again for a beer later in the evening and then chilled out - ready for our journey back to Ayutthaya the next day.

Going back was really quick, I bet the driver did about 110 mph all the way - nearly chocked a couple of times, but happy to not be too long... a guy next to phil was really interested in chatting to him and went on and on about stuff and he showed Phil the fish he had bought. They were kind of smelly and leaking on the floor but hey! it was something to talk about. I must say we were glad when he got off and took his sack of fish with him.

We're off to Chiang Mai up in the north tomorrow night. It'll be cool - I'm excited - we want to do a trek and a cooking class and and and ... well, we'll see what we can afford and fit in! Oooh, I forgot - during our tour, we went to an elephant centre and met a baby elephant - so cute!!!

She was a bit naughty though, but showed us tricks, like playing with the hula hoop and wearing a hat. She also sat down and I got to take my picture with her. She then gave me a kiss with her trunk. Well, she was meant to give me one kiss but she ended up giving me several... it was like a wet hoover sucking my cheek and it makes a really loud noise. V funny! Because she was still quite young, she was still very playful and had lots of hair on her head. She was being trained to survive on her own in the jungle and would be released in a couple of years. I was really emotional after that!

We also heard that there was a Tiger Temple and Monkey School, where tourists can go to see them, but after seeing pictures, I didn't want to go. The monkeys were chained and doing tricks like riding a bike and stuff and I didn't like it. I'm sure they would prefer being in the wild, doing their thing rather than entertaining tourists.

We were still interested in the Tiger Temple, which looks after real Thai tigers and you can get close to them. But speaking to some people who went, it was very expensive, but the only reason also you could get really close to them was because they heavily drug the tigers. I didn't like that - god knows what they are given and what effects this has, so in the end, we decided to give this a miss too. I think we both would rather go to a sanctuary and see the work they do there and support projects like that, than anything else.

That's it for now! Hope you're enjoying the postings - I know they are long, but it's also like a travel journal for when we return, so I don't want to miss things out. Will try to include pictures again, we're having trouble with the system here, it's quite slow and it's almost impossible to upload anything.

Bangkok and Ayutthaya

Well well well... Thailand, here we are.

You are looking at a very unhappy bunny - or should I say bunnies. We really didn't like Bangkok. I more than didn't like it. We were there for three days and I wanted to pack my bags and go home. So glad to be away now.

It's a super busy place, lots of people and lots of stuff going on. The food is delicious and cheap, but at times it felt like the cesspool of humanity. So many people love it but I don't see the attraction...

Our hotel was nice, just parallel to the Khao San, but very quiet and nice. The problems began as soon as you set foot out the door when everyone wanted to take your money, scam you and piss you off. Walking dollar signs someone said and that's what every non-Thai person is. You get hassled at every step and the city wasn't that convenient to get around in. We saw some of the sights, and lots of wats (temples) but the place is not very walker friendly and people hassle you for cabs and tuk tuks the whole time. It got to a point that whenever someone spoke to us, we ignored them.

We had some nice times like the river taxis, which are great to get around in and met some nice people and had lovely food. The rest of the time though, I was just suspicious and paranoid because even if you only ask for directions, people would deliberately tell you the wrong way. Even people who work for the official government tourist organisation would lie to us and tell us wrong train times just to try and pressure us into booking other holidays. It was awful.

Anyway, we also rode on some normal buses, which were great and you didn't get bothered then and people were nice. We also managed to see the Grand Palace, though it was shut, went to the standing buddha and saw Chinatown and other markets and places. Funnily enough though, after being bullied into taking a tuk tuk, we managed to loose him after going to the Golden Mount - we couldn't find him afterwards at all!! So strange - I don't know what happened to him and we hadn't paid him ... oh dear ... I was very willing though!

So after our time in Bangkok, we took a train to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. It's great here - we're in a nice little place and we don't get hassled. It's friendlier and more relaxed. The train journey was great too, we went 3rd class on this rumbly train and it took 1.5 hours. It was more on time than British Rail and the toilets were clean, too! Plus, people were on the train selling lots of yummy food and ice cold drinks!!!! Very interesting and convenient - the journey cost us 30B, which is something like 40p for the two of us.

Today we had another look round Ayutthaya and hired some bikes which was fun, but tomorrow, we will make our way to Kanchanaburi. Apparently it takes six hours by bus... oh dear... but am looking forward to it. Starving now, so will close now - am eating Phad Thai at least once a day and anything else that comes my way - everything is so delicious!

Am trying to speak Thai as well, but not very successful... it's a tonal language and I'm not getting it right - it's hard, but it would be cool t be able to speak it!

L.O.V.E Hong Kong

It was brilliant in Hong Kong! We stayed for three days in this little hotel in Kowloon, in this tiny room which smelled continually of egg fried rice. The window was tiny too and boarded up, so not really helpful, but we had air con! So we always smelled egg fried rice and whatever else was on the menu.

The city itself is a bit mad and a bit hectic, but the shopping is great, stuff is so cheap and we managed to really find our way around very easily! Hooray! We went on an old style chinese junk for a cruise round the harbour and got into Tsing Tao beer. We also managed to eat very well at various street stalls and made friends with this chinese lady who worked in one of them. Got to know lots of different things you can eat, which happily crawl about seconds before you munch them and found out I hate toads.

They sell them for eating and you can buy them by the net - YUCK!!!!!!! They just sit there on top of each other, warts and all, and wobble their throats, looking gross. Everything else was fine, but those toads I couldn't handle. At one fish market, one of the men at the stall saw how much I hated them and then pretended to throw one at me - you can imagine the chipmunk noises I was making mixed with hysteria... not attractive, but they all pissed themselves laughing. :0)

It went by far to quickly... we also saw the lightshow in the harbour where different buildings light up to music which was nice. I also had my fortune told - I'm gonna have two kids, one boy and one girl. My health is good and so is my career. I should move house and should get married after I'm 30 as I'm stubborn. There you go.

In the picture where I'm posing with the trafalgar square reproduction lion, you will probably wonder why I haven't climbed it. Trust me I tried! They greased those nasty buggers so people who try it slip off and fall on their butts - those Chinese people don't mess around!

Other than that - hey, it was great! Off to Bangkok next and ready for new adventures.

Goodbye Japan

Can't believe that the last post was Hiroshima - well since then a lot of things happened!

AFter Hiroshima, we really only had time then to go back to my grandma's house and then chill out for the day and we then had to leave to make it back to Tokyo for our flight to Hong Kong.

We went on the bullet train again all the way to Tokyo and it was a very enjoyable journey with lunch on the train - you can see the pictures at the beginning of this entry - but we did manage to get terribly lost once we were in Tokyo! We made it in the end though and checked into our hotel for some kip.

Got up early and then off to the airport for our ride to Hong Kong!

Hiroshima

Well, I don't really like writing about it... I've been to Hiroshima before and every time I go, it really affects me and troubles me for a long time.

We went and saw the Atomic bomb dome, which as the city hall above which the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945 at 8.15 in the morning. Countless people died instantly and suffered greatly in the aftermath of it.

There is an amazing museum attached to the building, where you can read up on the history of it, the creation of the atomic bomb, who was involved and the politics behind the decisions made. A lot of the historic documents are on show as well, such as memos and diary entries from both the US and UK people in power at the time. It is incredibly detailed and very interesting.

They also have a big section, where they show what it meant for the people of Hiroshima. There are pictures of severely burned men, women and children. People who died, were dying and those who survived and saw what happened. There are remains of clothes, toys and lunchboxes that schoolkids had with them on the day and that was all their parents could salvage of them. The horror of it all is very clear.

Around the museum is a Peace Park with statues in memory of the children affected and just symbols of peace. There is also a flame that burns until the last nuclear weapon in the world has been destroyed, in order eliminate the threat of nuclear warfare forever. A shrine also houses the names of all those who lost their lives to the bomb, then and even now. There is also a big bell that people can ring and wish for peace in the world.

We spent a long day there and then needed some cheering up. It's hard to see good things when confronted with the horrible, but I guess it's important to remember that there are good things and good people in the world and to always stay positive.

Well, that's the thought of the day and now, I'll close this chapter. I should end it with a joke and lift the mood. I'll think of another crap japanese joke and put it in the next posting.

Mount Aso, the volcano

We went all the way south to Kyushu, to go to Kumamoto and from there on to Mt. Aso, which is an active volcano. It was great!!!!

It took us ages to get there, but on the way we hooked up with another English guy called Adrian and we ended up spending the day together which was very nice. Basically, there is a giant mountain formation called a caldera, which was created when a volcano erupted ages ago and pushed the land up around it into a giant circle. In it, people settled and farmed the land, because the volcanic soil is so rich.

You are surrounded by big mountains though and one of them, Mt. Aso, is still a very active volcano!!!!! We made our way into the caldera through the entry point, which is basically like a giant gateway into a cauldron type scenery and there isn't much there, just nature and rolling hills surrounded by awsome hills. From there, we went up by bus as close as poss to the base of Mt Aso and then took a ropeway up to the summit.

As we got out, we were told to be quick, as the sulphurous gases were strong right now and if they continue, they will close the area off. We scrambled and made our way and stared straight into the pit. My God, it was a beautiful turquoise lake with white foam rippling and you wanted to jump in, it was like a perfect pool, but it was hot and the sulphur was rising! I was choking and coughing so much, it really hurts your lungs.

We took some pics and then had a look from the observatory and walked up into the hills there. Unfortunately it was quite late in the day, so we couldn't do any of it, we really fancied doing some walking and exploring those hills, they looked hard but so interesting what with the volcanic ash around like black sand. Truly amazing.

We spent as much time there as we could and then went back to Kumamoto where we spent the night in a funny little hotel. The next morning, we went down for our breakfast - Phil chose the japanese breakkie and I chose the western one. Phil had a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup with LOTS of tofu, a grilled piece of fish, salad and an egg. I had fried eggs, bacon, toast and salad. Phil was jealous - heheheh!

After that, we went off to Hiroshima.

Uchiko

We went to this great place called Uchiko in Aichi-prefecture while we were staying at my grandma's house. It's very famous, because a lot of old buildings survive there and it also still continues it's candle making heritage.

It took us a while to get there on the train (we set out at some ungodly hour) but once there, we were surprised at the size, or should I say lack of, of Uchiko. It's the tiniest place with the only attraction in the area being said street of old buildings and history of candle making, as well as a big steam locomotive in front of the station. I don't know why the locomotive was there...

We wanted to post our parcel, so we asked at the station where the post office was. They told us go down this street and to your right and you'll find it. It'll take you five minutes to get there. So we walk and after a while we're a bit confused, because there is no post office in sight. So I see this old lady in a shop and after scaring her to death at being able to speak japanese, she tells me the way to the post office. Down this street and over the bridge and to your left. It'll take you five minutes. Thank you!

So we walk. Still no post office. So I find a man in a liquor shop and I ask him the way. Yes, you guessed it, it takes five minutes down his way too.

We did make it in the end. Once we got there, we thought it was shut at which point I was looking for something to kick, but they were open. We just had to find this tiny hatch and then ring a special bell and wait for someone to open the hatch and then explain what we want to do. Apart from that, it was easy! After we got out, we ate a sandwich on the steps of the post office, we were that exhausted!!

Anyway, on to the old street and to the candlemakers! We found them too and it was lovely. This old man sits on the floor and he's got a massive bowl with melted hot wax in it. In one hand he holds about six long sticks covered with silk and straw and he would dip his other hand into the hot wax and then roll the sticks over his hand, thus coating them and slowly making candles. It reallyw as amazing and the candles are beautiful. It's just very painful to watch... but he's used to it and he's not wearing gloves or anything - yowwwwz!

We also learned a lot about the candle making process and the history of it and it was all very interesting. Some of the houses are so old and people still live in them normally, day to day. It's kind of strange but very nice at the same time.

After browsing and getting cultured, we made our way back to the train station to wait for our train back to Matsuyama, because we were going to Dogo Onsen. Ooooh, almost forgot, we saw the cutest cat at the station. Had to mention it - will include picture if possible.

Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama is the oldest and most famous natural hot spring in Japan. There has been a bath house there since forever and the emperor used to go there too and take a bath as the water is meant to be so good for you and have lots of healing properties. That's all great, but you see, in a japanese spa, people just get naked with each other.

I'd been before, albeit a long time ago, but I knew what to expect. I think Phil was feeling slightly more hesitant about the whole thing though, especially as he had already been tutored by my cousins on how to behave in the bath and what to do, as you have to wash first and do stuff like that befor actually getting into the bath.

But guess what, it was brilliant! I went off to the ladies and he went off to the mens and we met up after looking like a pair of lobsters. I saw some funny stuff and I bet Phil did too. But the water was great and it was very relaxing. Afterwards, we went for a stroll and watched the Dogo Onsen clock strike 17.00 after an elderly man made a speech about the clock and sang several songs. I didn't really understand a word he said...

After that, we grabbed some munchies and went home. What a day!

Shikoku

Wow, it's been a while - can't believe I haven't written anything since the Osaka posting. We have been at my grandma's house and access has been a bit difficult as also we tried to pack in as much as possible before leaving for Hong Kong.

Well, after chilling out with my grandma and looking at old pics and around the house and garden, we spent the rest of the first day basically eating or being forced to eat more. It was a bit tiring to be honest, but as soon as my grandma sees you put any kind of food in your mouth, she thinks she has to find something else for you and something else and something else again!

Anyway, we then decided that the three of us would spend the following day looking around Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa prefecture (where she lives) and we visited the old castle that has been built along the coast and fills its moats with saltwater directly from the sea. It's kind of cool, because you see all these fish in the moat having a good time and all these Japanese people watching them and drooling at all that fresh 'sushi'!

We also wandered around the castle gardens which are very beautiful and traditional in style and then made our way over to the best Udon noodle restaurant in the country. Well, it's kind of out of the way and it took us ages to get there, but boy was it worth it! It was so yum, I couldn't believe it! The three of us tucked in and munched our way through a massive portion and ended up so stuffed, we had to walk it off in one of Japan's most celebrated gardens - Ritsurin Koen.

It was first built as a summer retreat for some kind of feudal lord, but is now a big park open to the public and is set against a mountain at the edge of the city. The name Ritsurin actually means a wood of chestnut trees, but there are none in the garden. The story goes that one of the lords was shooting some deer or so with his bow and arrow in the park and one of the chestnut things fell on his head, so he got annoyed and had all the chestnut trees in the park chopped off. (Talk about a temper...) Anyway, his vassals then asked what they should plant instead and he said "give me a minute to think about it" but they misunderstood him and thought he had said he wanted pine trees. (Don't ask me to explain, I think it's a japanese joke. I don't get it either) So they planted lots of pine trees instead and it's very beautiful nonetheless.

That was our day in Takamatsu. Long live the udon noodle! Phil sent a batch home - I hope you like them, too.