We finally found our ‘normal’ city in Hiroshima – and what a lovely city it was. We had booked for 4 days but stayed 12 thanks to a relaxed modern atmosphere and a comfortable AirBnB apartment. Everyone knows Hiroshima for the A bomb during WWII but we weren’t on a pilgrimage to visit the site although we did of course visit the drop area and the museum dedicated to that moment. We both needed some R&R and a break from being tourists… Read more
After Kyoto we really wanted to go somewhere relaxing with nothing much to do. Enter Kinosaki, a small town where you don’t even have to get properly dressed… You can walk around town and even eat dinner in restaurants wearing your yukata (cotton kimono), wooden slippers and nothing else. Read more
The two main attractions in Kyoto are the beautiful temples and gardens and the narrow laneways in Gion. I visited Kyoto for the first time in 2007 and was absolutely enthralled by the atmosphere. This week the magic escaped us – maybe because it rained a lot but also because we’ve already seen many beautiful places that were less commercial. However we’ve still got a few photos we would like to share… Read more
In Kanazawa we spent a few days walking in the footsteps of Samurai and Geisha, even if their actual wooden slippers went through these streets a long time ago… Read more
After nearly 4 weeks in Tokyo, it’s time to venture into the countryside. We expect the rest of Japan will be a totally different experience compared to Tokyo and we hope just as exiting. First stop Takayama, a really quaint riverside town with well preserved wooden merchants’ houses dating back to the 1700s, lots of temples and the most delicious food. Read more
It seems that everything is possible in Tokyo. We took the quick route to ‘dress up’ as maids in the photo above but we could have gone to a place for ‘cosplay’ (costume play) where people go to dress up as their favourite super hero and have their photo taken. Instead we’ve visited a cat cafe, had a drink in the smallest bar we’ve ever seen, taken a bonsai class, gone to the fish market, seen a wedding procession, spent several hours in Tokyu Hands department store and just wandered the city streets trying to take it all in… Read more
Our China visa is for 20 days so after 8 days we made tracks Eastward. First stop Guangzhou, a large modern city near Hong Kong. We sort of muddle our way through China, never completely sure that we are doing the right thing or that we understand what’s going on – but somehow it always works out and we end up where we want to be. We rely on equal parts planning and helpful strangers with some luck thrown in… Read more
Here are some more photos for the nature lovers! We had the most wonderful time around Yangshuo and XingPing. Great walks and bike rides through some of the most stunning country yet. Read more
Well, we are not really learning Chinese but we are trying to learn the Chinese way and how to operate here considering that we are severely handicapped by not being able to read the Chinese characters (or speak it!). Luckily we have found most people extremely friendly and happy to answer our Ni Hao (hello) even if we have to continue in ‘charades’ from there. Read more
Although we had seen lots of photos of Halong Bay before this trip, we were blown away. The seascape is awe inspiring and we felt special and lucky to be there. It even made Nick want to sing like Doris Day!! Read more