The Japan Chronicles: Part 3

**photos to be added later.

Kyoto Continued

Last day in Kyoto. Day 4 in Japan. Maybe it’s getting hotter. Maybe our bodies weren’t meant to withstand this kind of heat… either way it’s producing buckets of sweat out of our Western selves. It’s hard to stay hydrated; it’s like filling up a wooden bucket with the planks not properly connected.

Cleansing. Detox time.

We have the best hosts ever, I’m pretty sure. They are currently creating a spread of breakfast dishes; toast, bacon, cheesy eggs, real coffee, milk, and a variety of juice-uh. YUM!

Friendships made while traveling: starts with a handshake and ends in a hug.

At the Golden Pavilion first. It was gold, that was neat, but the grounds weren’t as nice as the Silver Pavilion’s, so I mostly though meh. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, but I prefer silver in general so maybe that’s why.

@ the Ryoanji Temple (Zen rock garden)

: the sunlight spilled over the small rocks creating a sea-like trance, like waves gently moving in the breeze. Maybe it was the heat reflecting off the white surface, but despite the chainsaws blaring in the background, the scene was serene.

Cedar filled the air, remind me of Silver Dollar City back in the day.

The manicuring of the place with chainsaws and weedwhackers was pretty ridiculous, I understand appearances need to be maintained, but can’t we do that kind of work when people aren’t paying to soak in some peace of mind? Perhaps the noise was there on purpose to remind us of needing to get past the chaos in our everyday lives… sure, we’ll go the optimistic route with that one.

Bamboo Forest… some bridge over some river… rickshaw drivers with David sculpted muscles. “DON’T TOUCH THE PEACHES!” (We got yelled at, in English, from a market owner when we were testing the produce. We’re gonna buy it, sir.) “THEY ARE FRESH! GOOD!” Small doors everywhere. Oh, Asia. Parfaits – the most delicious way to say good-bye to Kyoto. Photo booths with enlarged eyes. Creepy, but oh-so fun!