Vientiane, Laos

Our "one night in Bangkok" was surreal. Arrived late at night….and ate delicious fried rice made by the “hotel clerk” at midnight. On the drive to the airport in the morning we saw army/police setting up barracades and laying their semi-automatic rifles on tables. We could also see the turmoil downtown…black smoke billowing into the air from the burning tires. We departed Bangkok on the day that the army descended upon the red shirts. Time to get out!

We flew to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Considered the “big city”, it was the only place we could fly to in the morning from Bangkok. Our hotel was considered “mid-range”…we paid $42/night….but you could pay as little as $2/night. We opted for the A/C and option of hot water (although at a real-feel temp of about 104 degrees outside..it wasn’t really needed..but nice for washing hands.)

The view from our hotel…the Mekong River. On the other side is Thailand. Supposedly in the wet season the river actually stretches all the way across….but all we could see was sand and far off water. In the evenings everyone gathers at riverfront bars and beer gardens to drink Beer Lao and watch the sunset.

Carts line the street selling food …the fruit fascinates me. We ate rambutan…which is round and covered with spines. It looks like a lychee inside, but tastes like a grape.

We quickly learned to take tuk-tuks around town. Everything is within walking distance…but only if you like being drenched in sweat and enjoy heat stroke. The fun part is bartering the price. It’s a dilemma….when you do the math, they are only asking for around $2…however you know as a tourist they are way overinflating the usual price. We tried our best to determine what was fair.

Patuxai…which is reminiscent of the Arc deTriomphe in Paris. There is a big French influence in this city. It was built in the 1960’s with US-purchased cement intended for a new airport. We climbed to the top to enjoy the view.

Had to include one meal! Spicy green papaya salad (too spicy!) salad rolls and big bottles of Beer Lao. Laos is not known for it’s cuisine…but we’ve enjoyed trying things.

Try crossing this street! The traffic laws are “everyone go everywhere”.

The next morning we did another walking tour. Started at a huge market. There is a tent full of goldsmiths….here is one melting down some gold. Incredibly hot inside.

A lady selling…um….well…not really sure…dried things...

The most dangerous part of Laos is the potholes….especially if you are walking and reading Lonely Planet at the same time!

We viewed some remarkable Wats (or temples)..with very elaborate colors and designs. It was not all Wats and Beer Lao. We spent many hot, sweaty hours getting to the bank (Laos uses Kip, Thai Baht AND US dollars), the hospital (for malaria meds we were supposed to purchase in Bangkok) the cell phone store (to get SIM cards) and to the Vietnam Embassy (our visa's expired after we came home early).

Then there were the Wat in dire need of a facelift. This is Wat Si Saket, one of Vientiane’s oldest surviving temples. They were working on a remodel…note the men up on the tippy top of the roof. Not a fun job. Next up is Vang Vieng…on a rickety slow crowded bus as I write this. Gooood times! ;)

Nara

We took the train to Nara, which was the first permanent capital of Japan. It is second only to Kyoto for culture…with eight Unesco World Heritage Sites. Most people make it a day trip from Kyoto, as it is a short train ride…but we were happy to have two nights in this smaller more quaint town after the craziness of Kyoto.

We decided to do another “Lonely Planet” walking tour. It took us through Nara-koen, a huge park that is home to around 1200 deer that are considered National Treasures (so basically run the place). The picture above is of Isui-En, a garden.

This is one of the Nio guardians which is housed in the Nandai-mon which is the enormous gate for the temple Todai-ji. These impressive statues are made of wood and they are MASSIVE. As you stand below them you only hope they don’t spring to life!

The Daibutsu-den Hall….the largest wooden building in the world. The tourists look like ants outside of it. The present structure was rebuilt in 1709 and is a mere two-thirds of the size of the original! Yikes.

The Daibutsu (Great Buddha)…note me in the lower right hand corner…just to emphasize how big it truly is! It is one of the largest bronze figures in the world. It consists of 437 tons of bronze and 130kg of gold. It’s withstood earthquakes and fires, and has lost its head a few times.

There was a huge line of tiny children waiting to go through this hole. Popular belief maintains that those who can squeeze through the hole, which is exactly the size of one of the Great Buddha’s nostrils, are ensured enlightenment.

The Kasuga Taisha shrine…known for its hundreds of lanterns.

I asked Dean to please give me back my dress as we took the elevator down to breakfast…;)

Our last night in Japan! Splurged with a bottle of Australian Pinot Noir and some amazing parfaits. Off to Thailand for a night (wish us luck!) and then quickly to Laos!

Kyoto

Yes...strange opening photo. This is not a time machine. This is the shower in our Kyoto Capsule Ryokan. The young hotel owner wanted to blend the best of both worlds...the small space of the capsule with the traditional Ryokan tatami mats and futons. The shower is in the main room...so you make sure to close the doors! Water comes from the ceiling, the walls and a handheld sprayer. The thing does everything but shave your legs. The toilets here are also amazing...heated seats, bidets, lids that open and close automatically, flush automatically, talk to you...one even made the sound of "river water".

We arrived in Kyoto, and headed to Nishiki Market...which has a staggering variety of foods. Above we noted eel, sweetbreads, and other unidentifiable meaty things.

That evening we walked through Ponto-Cho hoping to run into the elusive geisha. It is estimated that there may only be 100 geisha left in Kyoto. It is not considered polite to take their picture up close or speak with them. We managed to snap this from a side alley with me "posing" for the photo.

The next day we attended the Hollyhock festival which dates back to the 6th century and commemorates the successful prayers of the people for the gods to stop calamitous weather.

There were over 600 people (and horses) in traditional costume.

Lunch was a famous noodle shop called Omen. You start with a broth and add sesame seeds, vegetables and noodles a little at a time...creating a different flavor each time you change things around. Delicious!

Next up was Ginkaku-Ji...another temple. At this point we are rather "templed out"...but the gardens never fail to amaze us. It is difficult to capture in a photo..but the variety of green colors seen among the trees is stunning!

We walked between temples along the Path of Philosophy. It was named after a 20th century philosopher who was said to have meandered along the path lost in thought. Not a bad place to be.

Nanzen-ji...this is the Leaping Tiger Garden...a classic Zen garden.

Lonely Planet guidebook led us to a small shrine-temple hidden in a forested hollow. It is a sacred place where worshippers come to pray. We had it to ourselves.

We hiked up into the forest behind the shrine and found an ancient cemetary. Lucky for us the trail did lead back to the village eventually. We wanted to avoid the Kyoto daily news.

After dinner we walked down Shimbashi, one of Kyoto's most beautiful streets. It followed this beautiful creek, and was lit by lanterns.

Our last day in Kyoto we took the train to Arashiyama to walk through the famous bamboo grove. When the wind blows the bamboo sways, and small leaves rain down. Very beautiful! Next up...Nara.

Hiroshima

Arrived at our $60 a night budget business hotel which you could barely turn around in. Note the fantastic view of a cement wall. You get what you pay for. It was even better the next night when they had to move us to a "smoking" room...they provide you with a bottle of "Febreeze"...we sprayed everything from the walls to the A/C venting.

Hiroshima is famous for okonomiyaki... savory pancakes with vegetables/meat/seafood cooked on a griddle. They then add some noodles and a sweet dark sauce on top. Mine had egg, octopus, squid and shrimp. We were STUFFED...and had only a half order.

The A-Bomb Dome at night. The bomb exploded almost directly above this building, which served as the Industrial Promotion Hall. Everyone inside was killed, but the building itself was one of the few left standing. It has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. The next morning we toured the Peace Memorial Museum. An overwhelming experience as you can well imagine. The museum provides all the facts and details. Very worthwhile...There is a flame of Peace which will only be extinguished once the last nuclear weapon on earth has been destroyed...

Found some lunch at the train station...Takayaki....or octopus balls....not literally! It is actually a dough with boiled octopus in the center. Very much like the Abel skivers (Scandanavian pancakes) that I grew up with! Only instead of apple butter, they have octopus in the center. Hmmmmm......

We took a ferry over to the island of Miyajima. The vermilion torii (shrine gate) of the temple is one of the most photographed sites in Japan. At high tide it seems to float on the waves. Commoners were not allowed to set foot on the island and had to approach the shrine by boat through the floating torii.

Locals gathering oysters. Note in the far background how many people are digging for them!

The deer on the island are practically tame...you can pet them. They will do anything to get a snack off you. One poor guy was trying to eat his ice cream cone, and had to hide behind a pole as a cheeky stag was after him!

At the temple we encountered another wedding. The wedding party was being entertained by the dancer above with a traditional live band. (no electric slide, "Celebration", "Who Let the Dogs Out", etc)

Senjo-kaku, which is a huge pavilion built in 1587. The ceiling is hung with paintings. Across from it is another five-story pagoda (which I love!).

We took the "ropeway" up Mt. Misen...I was expecting a tow rope, like you would see at a ski resort...and was pleasantly surprised to find an actual gondola! ;)

The view at the top was amazing...Hiroshima is actually part of a series of sandy islands. We hiked further up the mountain to find a temple that has a flame that's been burning continually since Kobo Daishi lit it 1200 yrs ago! (they used this flame to light the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima).

They build shrines in the most unlikely places! We spotted this one at the summit..Next stop- Kyoto!

Takayam- Hida-no-Sato

Last day in Takayama! I was reluctant to tour Hida-no-Sato, as it sounded like a touristy "folk village". We were pleasantly surprised to find a nearly empty village made up of dozens of traditional homes, dismantled at their original sites throughout the region and rebuilt here. Once you see the home, the "rebuilt" statement becomes a thing of awe. These houses are handcrafted and highly detailed.

Gassho-Zukuri architecture...the steeply slanted straw-roofed houses were built to withstand the fierce snowy winters. The large attic space allowed room to do silk cultivation.

Inside one of the homes. These large homes were inhabited by wealthy families...sometimes 30 people living under each roof. Above is an example of one of the "heaters". Hida-no-Sato keeps the fires burning in each house...it keeps the moisture level correct and the bugs out. It also gives the village a very traditional feel (and smells darn good!). The houses are very drafty, often with cracks in the walls...it was cold even on a spring day. Yikes.

One of many "gongs" we've seen, usually near a temple or shrine. There is a large log that you can swing into the side of the bell.

My lunch. Sorry, I get pretty excited about all the food! I think I take picture of each meal, again, "Crazy American!" We went to a restaurant that has made homemade soba since 1898 (how many restaurants in the U.S. can say that?) This one has Takayama mountain vegetables in it....things with very strange names and flavors....

Love this statue...made me smile each time I went by. On the opposite side of the river was another statue, but with long legs. The original "character" comes from one of the many huge floats in Takayama. (used in one of their festivals). On to Hiroshima!