P&O Food – Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill

Posted on January 27, 2016 by borysSNORC

Just back from spending a short four night trip on the Pacific Dawn for Australia Day. Aaand… it was a great reminder why we usually sail Princess! The ship is quite small but packed to the gills (lots of quad rooms) and everyone in a party mood which was great. The biggest problem with P&O in my not so humble opinion, is the dining. The buffet tends average to poor, the room service is not included, and the only dining room (on most of their Australian fleet), the Waterfront Restaurant, isn’t large enough to accommodate everyone onboard in two sittings – so getting bookings for dinner is a bit iffy tending towards difficult, to sometimes, just, nope.

Anyway, we went to the Waterfront the first evening on the ship and had what I would call the most ordinary meal I have had on a cruise ship in over 200+ days at sea. Bland pasta, over cooked steak, and ridiculously pushy service edging us out the door (which was a stark comparison to a later lunch sitting where we were left nearly 40 mins with no one taking our order, and then two waiters each trying to say our table wasn’t in their service area!). Every breakfast menu was the same – poached eggs that were boiled solid, avocado that tasted like it was squeezed out of a tube, feta pieces so small as to be non-existent, and mixed up orders. Lunches were likewise uninspiring due to the same menu offered everyday, and things like sliders with mushy pulled pork similar to the consistency of canned tuna, seafood and fish pie with soggy pastry and defrosted marinara mix in a mysterious flour based white sauce, and again with the bland pasta (it said gorgonzola pasta for crying out loud! How can it NOT taste even a tiny bit blue?!). So, all round uninspiring food and below average service… seriously, my local pub which does nothing more than cheap steaks and schnitzels, but for a mere $12 lunch specials provides a far superior meal with way better service. Waterfront Restaurant – 2 out of 5… would not try again.

So we decided to check out the Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill, one of the specialty restaurants on the ship in the hope of finding something that was actually nice to eat. Others had said it was worth the AU$49 cover charge and by the time we’d had a couple of meals in the Waterfront, we were ready to risk it.

The restaurant is small, probably seats about 40 patrons, but has a lovely decor and enjoyable ambiance. Lovely quiet music and attentive staff which makes for a sharp contrast to the bustle in the MDR. The menu, well it was fabulous… and the food turned out to be amazing! So much so, we ended up booking to go back again so we wouldn’t have to face the Waterfront’s underwhelming offerings. I took photos of all the different dishes we tried, so I could share them here.

House baked plain and zartar bread with Luke Mangan olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dukkah.

Five Spice Cured Duck – with golden beetroot, almond dressing and crisp pancetta.

Charcuterie Plate – bresaola, capicola and proscuitto

Kingfish Sashimi – with ginger, eschallot and Persian feta

Top: Scallop Sashimi – with confit potato, salmon and avruga roe, truffle and chive dressing. Bottom: Arancini of Wild Mushroom and Leek – with taleggio and green golden dressing.

Tempura Prawns – with wasabi and sesame, daikon and carrot salad.

‘Glass’ Sydney Crab Omelette – with enoki mushroom, herb salad and miso mustard broth.

Oysters Kilpatrick

The oysters attract a $2 per oyster surcharge, and we thought we’d try them out – but to be honest, my own Oysters Kilpatrick efforts at home, wipe the floor with these.

Oysters Tempura

Lobster Agnolotti – corn puree, soft herbs, sauce vierge

Warm Goat’s Cheese and Caramelised Onion Tart – with beetroot salad

Highly recommend the goat cheese and caramelised onion tart – really fantastic blend of flavours on this dish… the sweet onion, tart cheese and slightly vinegar flavour of the beetroot was beautiful.

Brushetta – of crushed peas, feta and maple bacon.

Dukkah Crusted Lamb Fillet – with roasted pumpkin, feta, rocket, green olive salsa, and harissa yoghurt dressing.

Another favourite, the dukkah crusted lamb fillet was superb – beautifully prepared lamb and lovely flavours and textures. Fantastic, definitely try this if you get the chance.

Grilled Snapper – with parmesean and truffle oil fries, served with chipotle aioli.

Petuna Ocean Trout – grilled, with teriyaki wok-fried vegetables and coconut sambal.

Cajun and Herb Spiced BBQ Baby Chicken – with homemade BBQ sauce.

Tuna (Rare) – grilled, tandoori spiced, with curried lentils, cucumber and yoghurt.

Yale was really impressed with this tuna dish – unusual Indian flavours on rare grilled tuna that was quite distinctive. Very tasty.

Floating Island – with fresh berries and fruit, served with Frangelico anglaise.

Luke’s Liquorice Parfait – with lime syrup and tuile.

Goey Chocolate Tart, with banana, caramel ice cream and honeycomb.

Strawberry Cheesecake, with jelly, sorbet, light meringue and freeze-dried stawberries

You wouldn’t expect a strawberry cheesecake to be much to write home about, but this dessert was truly delicious and a little surprising. What I thought was crushed toffee on the plate turned out to be something similar to popping candy. Made a very pretty and tasty dish, a bit unexpectedly fun as well.

Tiramisu – with lemon custard Ice cream.

The verdict: everything we tried during our meals at the Salt Grill, was absolutely delicious. And I have vowed, that should I be so foolish as to go on the Pacific Dawn for one of these short cruises again, I would seriously consider adding a $49 per night cost to our overall trip budget, so I can partake of the specialty dining every night and happily avoid the whole Waterfront Restaurant Disaster Area entirely!

William Morris and Covent Garden Adventures

Posted on September 5, 2015 by borysSNORC

“I have never been in any rich man’s house which would not have looked the better for having a bonfire made… of nine-tenths of all that it held.” – William Morris on why the rest of us shoudl not give up our day jobs and become interior decorators.

Went out the the William Morris Gallery today in Walthamstow somewhere, and found a wonderful little free gallery that illustrate Morris’ art, his life, work and influence. Naturally I was very interested to see the works, but somewhat worried for my credit card as there was bound to be a bookshop and giftshop full of lovely reproductions of William Morris’ designs (I LOVE the Compton design on just bout anything) where I would surely buy some truly beautiful, but enormously expensive scarf, that I would never wear back in Brisbane … but I needn’t have preemptorily panicked as the gift shop was modest and filled mostly stationery and small knick knacks, and both myself and my credit card got out un-scarfed and unscathed respectively!

The exhibition has many printed, woven and embroidered fabrics, rugs, carpets, wallpapers, furniture, stained glass and painted tiles designed by Morris himself – as well as items painted and designed by his Chums from the Pre-Raphaelite Bortherhood – Edward Burne-Jones, Philip Webb, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, and others. Together they eventually borrowed some moey from Morris’ mother to create the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company in 1861… eventually Morris & Co.

There were pleny of outstanding items on display including, Morris’ medieval-style helmet and sword that were made as props for the Pre-Raphaelite murals at the Oxford Union. I also saw the original design for the Trellis wallpaper (the first of many Morris’ wallpapers). They also have the gorgeous and famous Woodpecker tapestry woven at Morris’ Merton Abbey workshops, the Beauty and the Beast tiles and the Labours of the Months tile panels. As well as works printed at Morris’ Kelmscott Press such as his own writings and the Poems of William Shakespeare and The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.

They also have a substantial collection of furniture, textiles, ceramics and glass by Morris’ contemporaries in the Arts and Crafts movement, (the height of which was about 1880 to the 1920). Among those represented are Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo and the Century Guild, May Morris (Morris’ exceptional daughter who turned household embroidery into a thriving artform), William De Morgan, Ernest Gimson, Sidney Barnsley, Selwyn Image, George Jack, C. F. A. Voysey, Harry Powell, Henry Holiday, and Christopher Whall.

Much of the collection of is complemented by the Brangwyn Gift – Sir Frank Brangwyn was a former student of William Morris who collected many paintings, drawings and prints by Morris and the other Pre-Raphaelites that were later donated to this collection.

Upon leave the Gallery, I had the most unusual encounter in Walthamstow High Street… a good looking young man in a well fitting suit approached me and said, very amiably, “Hello. Have you had a good morning?”, to which I felt free to reply, “Why, yes. I have thank you.” He then proceeded to ask me if I have internet at home. Ah, the penny drops, “Yes, I do, but at home in Australia.”… then the poor lad incapable of letting go of someone willing to reply to his innocuous opening questions starts asking me if I would consider changing providers. I had to stop, look him dead in the face and say, “As I said, I live in Australia… I strongly doubt your company wants to solicit customers that far from their network.” He then said, “Nooo. You’re not Australian, you don’t sound Australian at all… c’mon, where are you from?” I had to flash him my passport before he would believe me. He walked off very confused, and I wished him better luck with his next potential customer.

After this I head back to Covent Garden to have a look around the shops and find some lunch. I have to admit, Covent Garden is nothing like it used to be… it used to be filled with heaps of fancy stores on the inside and surrounded by market stalls – the type you’d find in any market – nearby. Now it feels like the market stalls are overtaken by people who are probably on Etsy selling over priced crap that no one needs. Not a hat stall or glove stall in sight and loads of custom printed aprons, over priced handmade silver jewellery, and 3D printed plastic London monuments. Mind, you could still get a bobble headed Queen so maybe I was over thinking that ‘too classy bit’, too much.

On my way back to the flat, I stopped at Marks and Sparks for what turned out to be another unusual encounter. I’m off on my cruise tomorrow, so I decided to buy a bottle of Shiraz to take with me. As I am going through the self service point, the register sets off an alarm for a store attendant to come check me out, I guess because alcohol is a restricted product and they want to check you’re not 12. The store clerk comes over to me, and logs into the machine, and say “You’re right aren’t you? Over the age for alcohol.” I laughed and said to him, “I’m 43, how much more ‘right’ do you need to be to buy a bottle of wine.” He looks at me and says, “No, you’re not! Can I see your ID please?” I was a bit taken aback… carded at Marks and Sparks! But not because he didn’t think I was over the legal age, but because he didn’t I was as old as I was claiming to be! *scoff* Weirdos.

Tonight I caught up with Stephola for a few pints at the Prince of Wales in Covent Garden before heading out to the most amazing dinner at a lovely place called Sarastro with Stephola.

Sarastro has the most crazy and quirky decore. Outside it is an overgrown cottage garden climbing the walls. Insider there are delightfully cosy booth spaces and hidden balconette tables amidst a veritable feast for the eyes in an all round fabulous atmosphere and the most delicious Mediterranean inspired food.

We talked about old times and mutual acquaintances (there surely were plenty of ears burning back in Australia!), giggled like high school girls, and there may have even been a tear or two over lost loves, lost family members and the sadder dramatic moments of our lives. It occurs to me that I am truly blessed to have friends like these – ones that I may not see for years, but when you do get together, you realise how much they mean to you and how much they have your back should you ever need them… and thanks to the Internet, the miles just melt away.
I had ever such a lovely evening, and if it weren’t for the hideous 30 hour transit, I’d suggest we meet up and do it every year or so!

Grand Japan – Diabutsu Buddha Kamakura

Posted on July 26, 2015 by borysSNORC

Big Buddha Day

Yokahama for change over day. The 17 nights Grand Japan cruise we are doing is actually two cruises, one 9 night cruise in the north and one 8 day cruise around the southern islands. So today, we are losing half the passengers from the ship and gaining a pile of new neighbours. 🙂 For transit passengers, like ourselves, there is a free day to spend in Yokohama. We spent the morning headed over to see Diabutsu – the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Diabutsu is literally the Japanese word for ‘great Buddha’. The monumental bronze seated Buddha is located at the Kotokuin Temple in Kamakura, and according to temple records, it dates back to 1252 in the Kamakura era. No one knows who made the prototype of the Buddha, but the bronze caster is said to be one, Ono Goroemon, of whom absolutely nothing is known but his name.

Fast facts about the Kamakura Diabutsu:
Date of Construction: 1252AD
Weight: approximately 121 tonnes
Height: 13.4m
Height of the cast: 11m
Face: 2.35m
Eyes: 1.00m
Ears: 1.90m
Mouth: 0.82m
Knee to Knee: 9.10m
And… it is deliberately not in proportion so as to look well when gazed upon from below. That is, Buddha has a big head.

The first image of the Buddha was made in 1243 in wood, and took five years to complete, however it was damaged in a storm in 1248. After this it was decided to built it in bronze, and a great deal of money was needed for this purpose, raised by a Lady Idanono-Tsubone and a priest Joko. Its creation was celebrated on August 17, 1252… it is the same Buddhas that rests here now, in spite of several natural disasters. Originally the bronze buddha was covered in gold leaf, and enshrined in a large timber building, but that was destroyed by a storm in 1334. It was reconstructed, but once again was smashed by a heavy gale in 1369. Another reconstructed shrine covered the buddha in 1498, but that was swept away by an unprecedented tidal wave/tsunami, and yet again another effort to enshrine the buddha in a great hall was attempted in 1718, but was abandoned when the then, 36th Abbott of the Tempe Zojoji of the Jodo Sect passed away.. The Great Buddha has been left to elements – rain, hail and shine, ever since. Even a great earthquake in September 1923 did not harm the Buddha, but damaged the base which was repaired in 1925. The latest repairs were done in 1960-61 to reinforce the neck of the statue and make it possible for the buddha’s body to move freely on the base in the event of a really strong earthquake. The Kamakura Diabutsu has stood for 800 years and looks likely to stay that way.

After that we went to the Hachim Angu Shrine, which is a Shinto Shrine built to honour the Gods of War. There were two statues in the main gate of this shrine guarding it much like the guardian dogs normally do – and again, one on his right had his mouth open in aggression and the one on the left was closed mouth in silence. The only noticeable difference between this Shrine and many of the others we had visited was a gigantic wall of sake barrels… there were perhaps 100 of them in a frame, standing about four meters tall. I have not seen this at any other shrines so far, and the barrels appear to have come from breweries all over the country. While we were there, we happened upon a Shinto wedding, with a bride resplendent in a pure white kimono and traditional horned headdress. The groom was in a formal black kimono and their respective families were in attendance in either formal kimono or what you would call, semi-formal western attire. There were priests in orange, drums and pipe being played by acolytes in blue and a very elegant procession. It was quite the spectacle. Now for those of us who had just walked up the 60 steep stairs to the shrine at about 11am… I was amazed at the seeming poise and elegance of this procession, particularly given it was 38C today and over 90% humidity! Such long heavy robes in this weather?! We were sweating like pigs and they were out in it, getting married. The Shrine was beautiful, we made some more wishes – something so simple and about paying your observances with a token donation and a wish for good health, or safe travels, or happy families.

After this we wandered through the shops for a while, looking at beautiful designer chopsticks, leather goods, fans, yakuta, ceramics, lacquerware, and all sort of weird and wonderful food stuffs. Then it was back to Yokohama proper for some lunch.

Fly by the beaches of Tokyo and we saw thousands of locals trying to escape the heat.
After this we wandered through the shops for a while, looking at beautiful designer chopsticks, leather goods, fans, yakuta, ceramics, lacquerware, and all sort of weird and wonderful food stuffs. Then it was back to Yokohama proper for some lunch.

Aunty Mary and I found the most amazing sushi restaurant. Saw pictures of the food on the outside of a shopping mall, and basically asked a mall security lady to ‘please, where is this?’ We found ourselves up on the 7th floor of an enormous shopping centre, and casting around for a restaurant with no name – just a symbol out front that neither of us recognised. We put our name down on a list (there were people lined up out the door at 2pm waiting for food, always a good sign), and had the most delicious fresh sushi lunch – salmon, tuna, mackerel, cuttlefish, herring roe, squid, salmon roe… so many delicious fishes. Mum ordered a very cool raw fish salad of sorts, and it was as delicious as it was beautiful. So if you happen to find yourself in Yokohama a the Lumine Shopping Centre, look for this place up on floor 7, and do yourself a favour… stop and fill up on fresh sushi. 🙂

While we were enjoying a leisurely plum wine with our sushi lunch, the boys had gone off hunting for manga and anime shops – they’ve been eyeing off figurines to take home. Apparently they had the second worst burgers in town for lunch, they said. Sucks to be them. 😀 But they did manage to find some figurines of that little green haired chick who has a singing career but who doesn’t really exist and whose name completely escapes me right now… :/ We also chased the Pokemon Centre at the Landmark Shopping Centre and the Jump Shop which is also full of manga stuff. 🙂 Hopefully this means we won’t have to round back on Akihabara when we get back to Tokyo in a week or so.

Grand Japan – Otaru

Posted on July 22, 2015 by borysSNORC

Otaru port today… Renown for fresh seafood, boutique breweries and hand made glass wares. So we wanted to check it all out.

First stop the award winning Kikkogura Sake Brewery and Musuem, where we followed The Sake Story (below), as best I can make it out!

The rice used to make Sake is larger than the regular rice used for eating – the best sake is made from only the white centre of the rice grains. 80% of Sake is just water – the water is essential for making Sake, and Otaru Sake breweries use the all natural cold, pure ground water that is plentiful in Hokkaido. So steps to make exception Sake:

First Polishing stage – 30-60% of the rice is polished to brewing quality standard, this takes the husked rice through to a fine powder state.

Washing stake – the rice is then washed and steamed.

Koji stage – Koji bacteria is added to turn the rice starch into sugars, which takes two days in a hot humid room.

Cultivation stage – the Syubo ‘Mother of Sake’ ferments the alcohol for ten days.

Mixing stage – the Koji is added into the Syubo with steam rice and water in three layers. At 10C it takes 30 days to slowly ferment in a large vat.

Squeezing stage – The sake is then squeezed to separate the sake from the Lees (dregs).

Next it is Stored… Bottled… Shipped… and ready to drink!

(*at the bottom of this post I have listed all the differnt types of sake for anyone who is interested – it is quite extensive

This brewery has been in operation since the 1890s and has a step by step guide to how sake is made. The lovely fresh spring water in the region has made it Hokkaido’s most famous sake region. This pic shows the rice being laid out for two days in a hot humid room to turn the rice starch into sugar.

Next stop the canal area where there is a plethora of traditional Japanese sushi restaurants in ‘Sushi Town’ where the abundant and unusual seafood can be sampled at over 130 restaurants with freshly caught delicacies at lower prices than many larger cities.

Have I mentioned how much I love all the bright colored plastic food signs outside the restaurants! Very cute and they’re everywhere.

After that we wandered the glass shopping district – all of it so beautiful and so hard to get home!

Different Kinds of Sake

All the sake listed in between Ginjyo-shu an Taru-zake are required by law to met the indicated standards.

Ginjyo-shu – sake brewed with white rice polished less than 60%, rice malt, water and alcohol for brewing. It has an excellent aroma and a beautiful colour. Ginjyo-shu Ginjyo jyunmai-shu, Dai ginjyo-shu are all produced by experienced brewers with their superb techniques, such as fermenting sake at low temperatures for a long time and removing most of the rice grains from the sake. These are called “masterpieces of sake” and are displayed at sake exhibitions. (Best: cold, or on the rocks – never add water).

Ginjyo jyunnmai-shu – Ginjyo-shu brewed only with white rice, rice malt and water. (Best: cold or on the rocks).

Dai ginjyo-shu – Ginjyo-shu brewed with white rice polished less than 50%. (Best: cold or on the rocks).

Tokubetsu jyunmai-shu – Jyunmai-shu is made with white rice polished less than 60%. To be called Tokubetsu jyunmai-shu, the rice used in brewing, production methods etc, have to be different to other Jyunmai-shu produce in the same factory. Those distintions are explained an indicated on the product. (Best: cold or hot, or on the rocks).

Hon jyozo-shu – sake brewed with white rice polished less then 70% rice malt, water and brewing alcohol (while only the amount less than 10% of the total rice weight can be added). It has a nice aroma and a beautiful colour. (Best: cold or hot, or on the rocks).

Tokubetsu hon jyozo-shu – Made with rice polished less than 60%. The rice used in the brewing production methods have to be different from the other Hon jyozo-shu produced in the same brewery. Those distinctions are to be explained and indicated on the product. (Best: cold or hot, or on the rocks).

Gen-shu – Undiluted sake. (Best: One the rocks, with warm or cold water added, never hot).

Nama-shu – Non-pasturised sake (Best: Cold, or on the rocks, never hot or with warm water added)

Nama chozo-shu – Sake which is not pasteurised prior to the preservation but only before being marketed. (Best: cold, or on the rocks, never hot or with warm water added).

Ki ippon – Jyunmani-shu brewed only at a company’s single brewery. (Best: On the rocks or with warm or cold water added).

Taru-zake – traditional sake preserved in a wooden barrel, with a distinctive aroma. (Best: cold or hot or on the rocks).

Ko-shu – Sake preserved for more than a year. The year of preservation is indicated on the product. Sake stored over 10 years has sheer golden colour. It takes mellower but has an aroma specific to matured sake (Best: cold or hot).

Tezukuri-shu – Jyunmai-shu or Hon jyozo-shu which is brewed with the brewery’s handmade steamed rice, malt and yeast. (Best: cold or hot).

Funakuchi-shu – Sake bottled immediately after being pressed. It is strong and fresh tasting due to the carbon dioxide contained in the product. It is not pasteurized therefore cannot be kept for a long time. (Best: cold, on the rocks or with cold water added, never hot).

Kassei sei-shu – The colour of sake is white and cloudy as rice and rice malt are crushed and filtered with a cellular cloth. It is not pasteurized therefore cannot be kept for a long time. (Best: cold, on the rocks or with cold water added, never hot).

Amakuchi-shu – Sweet sake with a strong taste. (Best: Best hot or cold or on the rocks).

Karakuchi-shu – Dry and fresh sake. (Best: Best hot or cold or on the rocks).

Kyoto Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion

Posted on July 13, 2015 by borysSNORC

… and Bamboo Forest day. 🙂

So excited! I have wanted to see Kinkaku-ji, also called the ‘Golden Pavilion’ for nearly 20 years now. It is such an amazing building and is one of Japan’s best known sights. I had seen a hint on an internet travel blog that getting there Monday morning bright and early was the only way to go in the summer tourist season, so out the door we were at 8:00am and hitting the buses (I say buses, because there were several!). We arrived on site around 8:45am and the large wooden gates leading into the complex were still closed. This is a map of the entire complex which includes Kinkaku-ji / Rokuon-ji Temple (aka Golden Pavilion…not sure why this place has three names, but it appears to), the Sekka-te Tea House, the Fudo-do Temple and the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.

The Not So Small Child, however, was not quite as excitied ands he had no idea what we were going to see – so he was busy trying to hook himself onto some free wifi while we waited… in fact, that’s his favourite past time in Japan so far; hunting for free wifi. 😛The doors opened and we were in a group of about 80 early bird tourists to make it in for hopefully unpeopled photographs. We could see the tour groups in buses arriving as we were going in and I can only imagine that it got very packed very quickly. I am unapologetically posting as many photos of this incredible spot as I can. 🙂 It was so peaceful and serene… the pavilion itself is simply stunning.

It was originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for a Shogun named Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, but his son converted it to a Zen Buddhist temple. The golden colour is from gold foil on lacquer covers on the upper two levels of Kinkaku, and a shining phoenix stands on top of the shingled roof.The first level is built in the Shinden style of the 11th C imperial aristocracy, and the second level is built in the Buke style of the warrior aristocracy. The very top level is built in the Chinese Zenshu-Butsuden style, but overall Kinkaku isrepresentative of Muromachi period architecture. All of which is well and good but I read that in 1950 a young monk became obsessed with the temple and his obsession culminated in his burning the place to the ground! So what we are looking at today is a 1955 reconstruction that was completed using the exact original design, but the golden foil covering was extended to cover the lower levels, which the original temple did not have. Obsessed monks indeed… Oh, and forget yesterday’s Hojo Gardens at Choin-in Temple… these are far and away the most impressive gardens I have ever seen. So immaculately kept and so beautifully laid out. With so many people coming through I can well understand why there are no seats around for people to loiter on, but it would be absolutely amazing to be in here alone under a tree, watching the nearly 50cm long carp and koi plopping in the water occasionally and listening to the breeze in the trees. Just stunningly gorgeous. Makes you wish you had a few hectares at home to make a garden of your own… oh, and the resources to pay the 20 plus gardeners you’d need to keep it looking so lovely and orderly. It has literally just dawned on me why I feel these gardens are so pleasing – they’re orderly. They’re not strategically overgrown English cottage gardens, which have their own appeal in their own right… they’re precise, expertly pruned, well kept and very, very orderly. Which suits my sensibilities perfectly. Off to the side of the pagoda is a little patio/landing where Sayuri is finally united with the Chairman at the end of the film, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’… going to have to watch that again and see how much of Kyoto, and Gion in particular, is familiar. 🙂
I mean, isn’t that one of the main reasons why we travel? So we can go to the cinema and annoy our movie going companions by whispering, “I’ve been there!” at various exotic destinations. Back me up here, BigSal? 😛 This sign probably says something hideously practical, like, “Tea house This Way”, but with my in-ability to read Japanese and my current effusive state of mind, I am going to choose to think it reads, “Stairway to Heaven” today. Ask me again tomorrow, and it might read, “Please refrain from using these steps, as you can see they are dangerously worn away from hundreds of years of hundreds of feets using them” … yes, all that in just four characters!Next thing we saw was the Ryumon Taki, I have no idea what that means, but the tourists have taken it upon themselves to throw coins into the curved stone bowl, and a strategically placed steel bowl that made a satisfying ting as you coin bounced out of it. Of course we all threw a ‘temple coin’ (aka shrappers) into the bowl. Only Mr K got it in one… and he made a wish for good health, because of course we are on the go, go, go which means he’s coming down with something.Even gorgeous just peeking through the top of the trees…At the Fudo-do shrine, we saw a row of weird little Fortune boxes, and around the corner, English Fortunes, Chinese Fortunes, and Portuguese Fortunes!? Seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up, so we threw in a coin and a genuine ‘Fortune’ came out.Et, voila! My fortune… “An unexpected misfortune will happen to you, but you can get over it if you can behave yourself and are prudent.” Well, so much for that… well behaved and prudent. What are the odds? 🙂 A little baby Shinto shrine, that was around the back of the Fudo-do shrine… I really wish there was ore information on what each of these are for – the complete inability to read anything really makes you feel like you are missing stuff. Mr K contemplating the down hill stairs – there may or may not be a bit of delayed onset muscle pain going on after the Mr Fuji adventure… everyone’s a little sore and double thinking things (the way I do every day, it’s kinda cute).After we left Kinkaku-ji, we were heading for the famous Arashiyama bamboo forest – so famous, it graces the cover of the current edition of the Lonely Planet for Japan that nearly everyone we meet is carrying around (as are we).

On the way, we took a wrong turn from Arashiyama (*mutter mutter* no signs in English anywhere), and ended up wandering over a bridge completely in the wrong direction. In a park, I saw a lovely lady dressed in a formal kimono having some formal photographs taken. Being friendly and REALLY wanting to take her photo, I walked up to them and told her how beautiful I thought she looked and asked the photographers if they were taking photos for a magazine or something. It turns out that this couple are getting married on the 22nd July, and this is their ‘pre-wedding’ photo shoot. Novel idea, but it seems it is quite common here to get your photos taken before the wedding so as not to use up time on the day.
My compliments and congratulations on their upcoming wedding were well received and they were happy to let me take their photo. The blushing bride looked absolutely perfect – though lord knows how she did, given it was 36C, over 70% humidity and nary a breeze to be hard. She must have been so hot under all that, but she just looked so lovely.Eventually we wandered back up in the correct direction, via a stop for kiwi fruit ice creams, and found the relative coolness of the bamboo forest… and I mean relative. It was probably still 30C something in there, but at least you could take your hat off for a few moments and try cool off. It’s not quite as picturesque as the pics on the guide book, but was a very pleasant stroll nonetheless. I did wonder though that with the hundreds of people also wandering through the grove (that I worked very hard to try and keep out of my pics), why haven’t the city/council, just planted another five or six more bamboo groves in various areas of town? Curious.
Some lovely ladies we saw at the train station – apparently it is quite common for tourists to rent a kimono for the day and have their hair done up to tour various sites, and it is very popular with Chinese visitors. After all that – about 5-6 hours wandering around in just draining heat, we came back to Gion and had some quick lunch… followed by a nap for those of us who had completely lost their ability to deal, and The Last Samurai on Blu-Ray for Angel and me. Lunch boxes here are fantastic – so cheap and full of yummy fresh sushi, and available at the 7-11. Wish we could get this sort of thing at home. 🙂 Escaping from the heat for the afternoon was a good plan, we didn’t head back out until after dark when it was a far more tolerable 26C and still 70% humidity… and only then to go have a quick look around the area at night and try to find some ramen noodles. We found several places open just up the street – it’s weird how many tiny little restaurants there are everywhere here, in amongst the houses and down tiny alleys, great little bars and restaurants that barely seat 10-12 people. We also have vending machines with coffee, soft drinks, water and sports drinks just at the end of the driveway that leads into the apartment, and they seem to be on every other corner. But I digress, we found a great little ramen place about 100m from here (after passing three other restaurants!), and had some delicious traditional (according to the menu ‘traditional 1970s style ramen noodle’… lol) meals. Very quaint little place. 🙂

Not sure what we are doing tomorrow, but no doubt it will involve more sight seeing in the morning, hiding from the heat again in the afternoon, and then going out into Gion to check out the preparations for the festival which starts in two days! 🙂 Lots of lanterns, parade floats and people in the streets, it should be a lot of fun.